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From: Autos Pak on 26 Jul 2010 13:45
When the new LRX compact crossover hits the market, it's goal is to
change the way the world perceives Land Rover. Unlike the rest of the
marque's range, the LRX isn't likely to boast unbeatable off-road
prowess with fuel-sucking power - quite the contrary, in fact. Land
Rover has officially announced that in addition to the previously
rumored front-wheel drive model, a diesel hybrid version of the LRX
will be on the road in 2013. These two new-to-Land Rover features
should go a long way in broadening the brand's attractiveness to new
sets of buyers interested in smaller vehicles like the new LRX, though
the move might risk alienating traditionalists, particularly if the
model's off-road ability is severely compromised. (Note: The LRX name
still isn't in the books yet, and to this day, Land Rover is referring
to the crossover as the "all-new compact Range Rover").

Near the end of this year, Land Rover will start testing its first
diesel hybrid prototype, which has been dubbed "range_e." This
development vehicle, which rides on a Range Rover Sport platform, will
use LR's existing 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V6 and a ZF eight-speed
automatic mated to an electric motor. The goal is to produce a
powertrain that can achieve a range of around 20 miles solely on
electric power, while emitting less than 100 g/km of CO2 emissions. A
conventionally powered production-bodied LRX was already spotted
testing just earlier this week.

While this technology is still a few years away, Land Rover has
assured us that the front-wheel-drive LRX will be available right away
when the range launches next year. Never fear, though - Land Rover
will still offer the LRX with an honest-to-goodness four-wheel drive
system, and we look forward to getting both some on- and off-road time
in the new baby Rover. The full details are available in LR's press
release available after the jump.
Reference:
http://www.autospak.com/
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