Land Rover is currently developing a diesel hybrid version of its Range Rover Sport model with a targeted sales date in 2012. A small fleet of five vehicles is expected to be road-ready and testing next year.

Currently Range Rover has an excellent luxury and off-road image, but a terrible reputation when it comes to miles per gallon and emissions. Land Rover says this new hybrid Range Rover should emit just 100g/km of CO2, which is far less than the only other hybrid in this segment, the Lexus RX450 at 148 g/km of CO2.

The diesel engine used would be the same 3.0-liter unit used in the current Range Rover Sport diesel model, that makes roughly 245-hp and 443 ft-lbs of torque. It would be mated to a 25kW electric motor and would be a full hybrid setup capable of running on either gasoline, electric power or a combination of both. It will also have an electric-only range of 20 miles.

No estimates of fuel-economy were given, but the current diesel RR Sport averages 30.7 mpg (in the European cycle), so we expect at least a 5 mpg improvement on that.

The high-tech ERAD electric rear axle that that is expected in the LRX model will not be a part of this hybrid package. As for the LRX, it will debut in 2011 and mark a fresh new start for Land Rover as it begins an up-hill battle to re-brand itself as an environmentally responsible automaker.

[Source: AutoCar]

***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here***

While we await production versions of the MINI Coupe and Roadster concepts, as well as the Countryman crossover, MINI is getting ready to unveil yet another concept car – the Moke. Based on the same chassis as the Countryman, the Moke is expected to get its inspiration from the original Moke – a bizare dune-buggy like vehicle that was originally designed for military use. Unfortunately with its low ground clearance and underpowered engine, the military didn’t want anything to do with it.

Since then, Moke variants have been built by numerous other automakers and along with having a cult-following are also a popular rental cars in tropical countries.

The concept car is expected to have a rugged off-road appearance with an open-top and feature MINI’s new ALL4 AWD system. The powerplant is likely to be the same as the Countryman’s and if well-received it could see production by 2012.

The Moke is just the latest step by MINI to expand its product lineup to meet increasing demand for its products.

[Source: MotoringFile]

[Photo source: Swaiklan]

Hot on the heels of a leaked brochure outlining the many details of Honda’s upcoming CR-Z hybrid sports car, a similar brochure showing a modification package by famed Honda-tuner Mugen has appeared online.

No details on the kit have been confirmed but judging from the photo we’re looking at a new aero package including front and rear bumpers, side skirts and a roof-mounted spoiler that really gives the CR-Z an aggressive look. A larger set of light-weight wheels is also a part of the package and we expect a few added goodies to also be included.

As for the CR-Z itself, we have learned that it will be powered by an Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) gasoline/electric setup with a 1.5-liter engine and electric motor. Engine power is 112-hp and 107 ft-lbs, while the electric motor kicks in 14-hp and 57 ft-lbs. With either a six-speed manual or CVT gearbox, the CR-Z can hit 62 mph in an unimpressive 9.7 seconds – just a tenth faster than the Prius.

Different driving modes will be available, including Eco, Normal and Sport. And while the CR-Z doesn’t get sports car performance, it certainly does seem to get hybrid fuel economy. In the Japanese test cycle the car is rated at 52/59 mpg. At first this seems to put it way ahead of the Insight which is rated at 40/43 mpg in the U.S., but in Japan the Insight rates at between 61 and 70 mpg on the Japanese test cycle, meaning that the CR-Z is likely to come in below the Insight in terms of fuel economy.

We’ll have to wait for the car’s North American debut to get the official numbers.

GALLERY: Mugen Honda CR-Z

GALLERY: Leaked Honda CR-Z Official Brochure

[Source: TOV]

Renault may be planning a return to North America, a market that it has been absent from since 1987. The news comes from a report in the Wall Street Journal, where Renault’s entry-level vehicle boss, Gerard Detourbet, admitted to the possible re-introduction of the French brand; a move that hinges on the success of the Duster SUV (above).

The Duster, which is being manufactured by Renault under the sub-brand of Dacia, will eventually also be sold as a Renault-badged vehicle. If it is successful in markets like South America and Eastern Europe it may just make its way to North America. The likelihood of Renault bringing over just one vehicle hardly makes sense and so Detourbet suggests the brand could launch with a small collection of vehicles.

Perhaps this move could bring about the introduction of two of the French automakers best-known vehicles, the Clio and the Megane, including the hot-hatch Megane RS, (pictured below).

GALLERY:Renault Megane RS

[Source: WallStreetJournal via Autoblog]

The Swedish government is putting the pressure on General Motors, saying that it must make a decision this week on the sale of Saab if the deal is to go through by the end of the year. “They must at least have chosen one of the interested parties this week, otherwise it will be tough to complete a deal,” said Swedish Enterprise Ministry secretary Joran Hagglund in an interview published in the country’s daily newspaper, Svenska Dagbladet.

After the deal to sell Saab to a group led by Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg fell through a few weeks ago, GM was all but ready to give up on its loss-making Swedish brand, when Dutch exotic car maker Spyker announced its interest. Yet another long shot, Spyker always seems to be able to find cash when it needs to, even running a Formula 1 team at one point.

GM has said that if a solid buyer is identified but a deal hasn’t been secured by the company’s self-imposed year’s-end deadline that it would be willing to continue to bankroll the company. GM spokesman Chris Preuss has said that the American auto giant is willing to continue to work to find a buyer for Saab but hinted that the wait might not be a long one saying that, “a decision about Saab is going to come very soon.”

The Swedish government does, however, have a say, as does the European Investment Bank, as both parties need to investigate a buyer’s business plan before supporting the purchase.

China’s Beijing Auto (or BAIC) has also expressed an interest in Saab, but is only after the company’s tooling a technology behind the previous generation of cars in order to build those vehicles for the Chinese market. BAIC had agreed to support the Koenigsegg-led deal in exchange for those assets but when that deal fell through has offered once again to buy them.

So far, GM has had little success selling off its many brands. The company is in the process of closing its Pontiac unit but couldn’t find a buyer for the Saturn brand after a deal with the Penske Automotive Group fell through. A deal to sell Hummer to a Chinese industrial equipment manufacturer has yet to be completed.

[Source: Reuters]

The month of November marks six consecutive months that the Chevrolet Camaro has outsold the Ford Mustang, but the Camaro’s sales success reaches beyond the realm of sports cars. In fact, the Camaro seems to be gaining a lot of fans among mainstream buyers as the muscle car’s numbers surpass those of entire automakers and even push past some of GM’s popular products.

In November, Chevy sold 6,827 Camaros, bringing the cars sales tally to 54,100 units. In comparison, Ford managed to sell just 3,627 Mustangs and Dodge moved just 2,040 Challengers. Chevy is even making big profits on the car as roughly two-thirds of all Camaros sold are the pricier V8-powered SS models, which Chevy says cost about the same to produce as their V6 brethren.

What comes as a shock is that in the month of November, Chevy sold more Camaros than Cobalts - a vehicle that should be one of the brand’s highest volume models, but moved just 5,112 units.

More impressive yet is that in November Camaro sales topped the entire lineup of vehicles sold from companies like Audi, Mitsubishi, Lincoln, Volvo, Porsche, Smart, as well as those from GM rejects Hummer, Saab and Saturn.

The data seems to suggest that the car has plenty of mainstream appeal, although there are some worries at GM that the ride is already over. The impressive sale of 6,827 units in November is down 17 percent from the 8,082 Camaros sold in October. Winter weather is also likely to be a big factor in reducing sales of the RWD sports car.

[Source: GoodCarBadCar and CamaroBlog and GM]

Proving that the electric car revolution isn’t likely to happen over night, Audi has said that it will build just 1,000 versions of its E-Tron sports car, with pricing set above the R8. News comes from the U.K.’s AutoCar after an interview with Audi design boss Achim Badstubner.

Considering Audi’s R8 with the 5.2-liter V10 runs a cool $146,000, that is no small chunk of change for a vehicle that certainly won’t perform like Audi’s current supercar.

Badstubner said that with 5,000 international dealerships, sales of 1,000 units was feasible, but added that the cars would be built to order – an obvious sign that Audi isn’t confident in demand. In the interview Badstubner went on to comment about the limiting factor that the cost of batteries have and also said that electric cars are typically city cars, which designed for short distances and not for high-performance driving.

Audi does, however, believe there will be some takers for the car; early adopters who have the means and don’t mind the added cost to be both different and environmentally conscious.

The E-Tron is powered by four electric motors (one for each wheel) that make a total of 313-hp. It is expected to go on sale in 2012.

GALLERY: Audi E-Tron Concept

[Source: AutoCar]

Ward’s Auto has just released its top 10 engines for 2010 and the list is dominated by hybrid, diesel and forced induction (turbocharged, supercharged) powerplants. Among the winners are two turbodiesels, the 2.0-liter 4-cylinder fond in the Jetta TDI and the 3.0-liter inline-six found in the BMW 335d. Two hybrids also make the list, the Ford Fusion Hybrid and its 2.5-liter hybrid motor, as well as the Toyota Prius and it’s 1.8-liter hybrid motor. The Prius also took the spot as the most fuel-efficient engine with a rating of 55 mpg as tested by Ward’s.

Other notable engines include the 2.0 TFSI as found in the Audi A4 (a perennial favorite) and the 2.5-liter four-cylinder found in the Chevy Equinox.

“This year’s list embodies how the industry is responding to demands for higher fuel economy and lower emissions without shortchanging performance,” Ward’s AutoWorld Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter said. “Auto makers are using innovative designs and advanced technology to boost horsepower and torque while downsizing engines and increasing efficiency.”

In fact, 2010 marks the first time in 16 years of the Best Engine awards there was only one V8 engine on the list – the 4.6-liter Tau V8 as found in the Hyundai Genesis Sedan.

There were other high-performance engines on the list, notably the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 in Audi’s S4 (which replaced an older 4.2-liter V8), the 265-hp turbocharged 2.5-liter flat-four found in the Subaru Legacy GT and the 365-hp twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 as found in the Ford Taurus SHO.

The Ward’s 10 Best Engines list is decided by six editors from Ward’s Automotive Group who tested 34 vehicles from 13 automakers. The engines are rated on horsepower, torque, refinement, technical relevance and comparative data. Engines nominated had to be either all-new, significantly updated or be a previous winner. They also must come in a vehicle that will go on sale in or before the first quarter of 2010 and be valued at no more than $54,000.

[Source: Wards Auto]

See the full list after the jump

Continue Reading…

When Kia first unveiled the Soul-based Soul’ster concept at the Detroit Auto Show it almost seemed like a production certainty. But almost a full year since the car debuted and we’ve yet to hear anything more about the unconventional “convertible” version of the compact car/crossover. Now Kia’s design boss is putting his weight behind the project.

“Kia’s internal design community is firmly behind building the Soul’ster,” said Tom Kearns, chief designer of Kia Motors America, to the staff at PickupTrucks.com during an interview at the LA Auto Show. “We’d like to see it happen. There’s no official decision to build it but it’s still possible.”

An unnamed executive at the Korean automaker also told the truck site something about the car’s target demographic, saying that in the 1980s and ’90s, compact pickup trucks (which serve a similar purpose) were popular amongst college student and retirees, but that eventually those trucks became too expensive. In order to target that market again, such a vehicle would have to cost from $10,000 to $15,000. Currently the Soul retails for $13,995. We could also see the Soul’ster conquesting lifestyle buyers from brands like Jeep.

Executives weren’t willing to say any more on the matter but perhaps this year’s Detroit Auto Show will bring more Soul’ster news from Kia.

[Source: Pickuptrucks.com]

MINI’s Coupe and Roadster Concepts are being fast tracked through the final design phase in order to see production next year. News of these developments comes from the team over at the MINI-obsessed website MotoringFile.

Both models debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show and were recently on display at the LA Auto Show and for the most party they look production ready – although there are still a few wild design ideas that seem too extreme for a production car. (Then again, MINI has never been one to built “normal” looking vehicles).

The final design tweaks could have both models entering pre-production in June of 2010 at the MINI plan in Oxford, with series production started in October – just in time of the 2011 model year.

Both concept cars are powered by the same John Cooper Works turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder as the current line of top-level MINIs, making 211-hp and 192 ft-lbs of torque, with a bump to 206 ft-lbs possible thanks to an overboost function. What isn’t clear then is how, other than the lack of a hatchback, these models differ significantly from the Cooper.

More developments in this story are expected tomorrow.

[Source: MotoringFile]