Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover made several big announcements this week, including the forthcoming closure of one of its British factories and an £800 million investment in environmental innovation, but car buyers will be happiest to hear that hybrid and electric technology are on the horizon and that a production version of the Land Rover LRX concept has been given the green light.
Designed and engineered in Gaydon, the showroom model will wear the Range Rover badge, though it's thought that the concept's three-door layout will be changed to accommodate a pair of rear doors. Nevertheless, odds are that it'll look just as good as the concept, certainly if Gerry McGovern, Land Rover's design director, has any say in the matter:
"The new vehicle will be a natural extension to the Range Rover line-up, complementing the existing models and helping to define a new segment. It will be true to the concept and have many recognisable Range Rover design cues including the signature clamshell bonnet, the floating roof and the solid 'wheel-at-each-corner' stance."
That's all we've been told for now. Further information will be released at some stage in 2010, presumably with a debut at either the Detroit Auto Show or the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Production is scheduled for 2011 in Land Rover's Halewood plant in Merseyside.
Shane O' Donoghue - 24 Sep 2009