Yesterday's big news that Land Rover and Jaguar were sold to Tata Motors give us a chance to talk Land Rover in terms of CO₂ emissions. Jaguar we'll just ignore for now, because Land Rover is a much more interesting case. We've ooohed and aaahed at the nice LRX concept, which would emit just 120 grams of CO₂ per kilometer should it ever make it out of the Auto Show circuit, but in general Land Rover isn't exactly a clean car company. Automotive News Europe (subs req'd) found that Land Rover's sales are up dramatically in the last few years and the company is apparently "solidly profitable" (Jaguar's in trouble here). ANE said that Land Rover's CO₂ emissions across the board need to be dropped and a brand reinvention to feature "fun, fashionable SUVs with a social conscience, rather than big gas-guzzling V-8 models that attract criticism from environmental campaigners" would be the right move. I see Tata as getting a bit schizophrenic here: big SUVs, the world's cheapest car and Jaguars? Still, if AutoWeek is correct, then the LRX will play a big role in the future of this new automotive hydra. That'd be sweet.


[Source: Tony Lewin / Automotive News Europe]

We first saw the Land Rover LRX concept CUV in Detroit when it was a gleaming white promise from the future. Land Rover displayed a second color scheme for the LRX in Geneva and has brought that vehicle to New York this week. We couldn't help but get a little shutter-happy today, and we also got Land Rover North America's VP of communication, Tim Watson, to tell us that, while nothing is guaranteed, the company is "cautiously optimistic" that the LRX will one day be brought into production. Considering this turbodiesel hybrid would emit just 120 grams of CO₂ per kilometer, we're not afraid to say we'd like that. You can listen to Watson by clicking on the audio widget below and see more images of the black and silver LRX by clicking the gallery thumbnails.

A Land Rover that emits 120 grams of CO₂ per kilometer? That's the promise of the LRX, the new concept SUV with a turbodiesel hybrid powertrain Land Rover unveiled yesterday at the Detroit Auto Show. Land Rover's press event made big deal of the history and future of Land Rover (with the very first Land Rover ever built sharing the state with Land Rover's second-ever concept vehicle - and this picture aptly demonstrates the message, I think), but the interesting thing is that the LRX is not exactly large. The two-door LRX does seat four, but it looks a bit cramped in the back. Perhaps it's bigger inside than it looks, but as you can see in the gallery below, the design lines compact towards the back, giving what Land Rover executives say is an aggressive stance. I care more about the environmental aspect of the LRX, and a vehicle of this size that puts out the aforementioned 120 grams is OK by me. More info in the press release after the jump, and there's a video to come.