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Land Rover Launches Its First Hybrid Model in 2013

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It seems to be a matter of time before all car makers start producing eco-friendly vehicles. The same goes for Land Rover: it won’t be long before we start seeing their first hybrid on the roads – about 2 years. How long until the plug-in hybrid version? 3 years.

The automaker’s brand director John Edwards elaborates on the subject: apparently, both models will be made having the next-generation Range Rover luxury SUV as a model, which will come both in gasoline and diesel variants.

The automakers’ strategy for hybrid vehicles will of course be dictated by market demands, especially the US market. Thus, a diesel-electric hybrid would cost too much and would not be too sure to attract American customers.

To avoid this, Land Rover had in view a V-6 gasoline engine on its first hybrid car. The technology will probably include an electric motor, along with an internal combustion engine connected in parallel on a single driveshaft.

Now, the plug-in hybrid model will differ through a more powerful electric motor; the batteries will hopefully be capable of sustaining the SUV on a 40 mile distance. You won’t have to stop the car for a charge, though: the batteries will charge while driving with energy from the internal combustion engine or by using a regular household power outlet (a plug-in hybrid).

The Land Rover hybrid comes as part of a larger series of developments: the company is also looking into adopting CO2 emission offset programs and studies the possibility of producing lighter vehicles (using aluminium in the process). In conclusion, if a big consumer car as a Land Rover is becoming hybrid, change is definitely on the way!

[via GreenCarReports]

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1 COMMENT

  1. when will you guys realize that we do not care about those crappy eco engines, regardless of economy, in these cars; if we would, we’d go out and buy a pos prius, not a rr…or bring the v8 diesel also here in the US if you care about (a little:) economy, at least you still have some torque – but people are too ignorant here to see that: they would rather accept a miserable v6 + electric instead…it’s totally amazing amazing…

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