Wearing what would barely pass as anti-photo camouflage, our auto paparazzi snapped spy photos of the upcoming 2013 Land Rover Range Rover on the road.

Fuel economy is expected to improve on the upcoming model thanks to an all-aluminum structure shedding weight and a new eight-speed transmission. Along with the more conservative trans, roughly the same engine line is expected to make it into the newest version. A big 5.0-liter V8, along with a supercharged version for increased performance are expected to be available. Despite saving fuel, the new transmission should also help acceleration too.

Don’t be surprised if a hybrid model debuts as well. The automaker already showcased a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain, though the fuel and engine are more likely to burn gas for production.

Our latest pictures show the SUV in minimally busy camo, allowing the camera to pick more details out than ever before. What you see above is almost certainly just a dressed up version of the production model rather than a test mule.

GALLERY: 2013 Range Rover spy photos

Lego replicas are usually pretty lame, but this Land Rover Defender 110 proves that a legitimate scale car model can come out of the little plastic pieces with shocking accuracy.

In fact, the 1:8.5 version has everything you would expect, thigns you wouldn’t and some stuff beyond what most would imagine. The equipment list includes a functioning differential, five-speed transmission with reverse, a long-travel suspension, functional disc brakes, two- and four-wheel drive modes and more.

The body easily detaches from the chassis so you can see the drivetrain from all angles and the steering wheel with the same number of turns-to-lock as the actual truck. It’s no small task to build, though. There are 2,800 parts in total, including seven motors. It can travel up to 2.5 mph and is operated via remote control.

Not a native Lego build, the replica came from an enthusiast, but there’s a chance you can have one too. The company picked it up and says it will offer a kit if it gets 10,000 votes. The video below shows the car in full detail, which is really the only way to recognize how impressive it is.

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Just as appeal for the Ranger Rover Evoque seems to be reaching a fever pitch, Land Rover threw more fuel on the fire with the Victoria Beckham Special Edition late last month. Now, rumors of an Evoque Sport are surfacing as well.

Recently at the Beijing Auto Show, design director Gerry McGovern revealed that Land Rover is considering an Evoque Sport model that would boost the production stats of the standard Evoque. With 80 percent of its buyers being completely new to the Land Rover brand, the crossover has been a big hit. Rumblings of an Evoque convertible model are also shaking the rumor mill, though official decisions about production are unreached.

Range Rover will have its work cut out however, especially with Audi unveiling its RS Q3 Concept packing 360 hp. A possible powerplant choice could be a Ford-sourced 2.0-liter turbo four with 240 hp that could easily be tuned to pump out more power.

Along with a more powerful engine, Land Rover’s designers will be adding larger wheels and a sportier body kit to enhance the aesthetics of the Evoque. No doubt the Evoque Sport will also see new suspension components, giving the crossover a lowered and more aggressive stance while bigger brakes would definitely complete the package.

[Source: Autoexpress]

The April 2012 sales numbers were released today, and Chrysler and Toyota have the most to rejoice over, while Ford and General Motors need to do a little bit of catching up. 

Before you read the numbers, you must know that the sales numbers from this April are a little misleading, as last April there were three more recorded selling days than this April. That means when a manufacturer reports an increase or decrease, they are comparing two sales numbers that had different amounts of time to build up.

Chrysler recorded a 20 percent increase in sales this April over last, and had the best April to date since 2008, but the growth this month is actually slightly smaller than the growth seen last month. The company, as well as the whole industry, saw demand for light vehicles and cars increase as well, much more than the need for SUVs and trucks.

The Volkswagen Group saw a 27 percent increase in sales over last April, and had the largest gains out of any other major volume selling automaker.

Toyota was the most successful Japanese company this April compared to last, with an increase of 12 percent, while Korean rivals Hyundai and Kia only clocked a sales growth of one percent, the first time in 20 months that the sales gain for these two companies wasn’t in the double digits. That being said, April 2012 was a record month in volume for both Kia and Hyundai, but though they are growing, the companies sales might be slowly plateauing. Nissan saw a zero percent increase, with sales staying flat in the market this April over last.

Luxury cars did well last month, with Jaguar-Land Rover up three percent, Porsche up eight percent, Mercedes up 27 percent, and BMW up 12 percent compared to April, 2011.

General Motors saw a decline of eight percent, while Ford sales dropped five percent. This was the largest decline for both automakers since 2010.

In summary, Chrysler is doing the best out of the big three American companies,  Toyota is coming out ahead of its Japanese rivals and Korean counterparts, and the Volkswagen Group is making big gains in the American market, all at the expense of Ford, GM and Hyundai-Kia.

Overall, light vehicle sales rose two percent last month, as consumers are moving away from trucks and SUVs, and focusing on buying small fuel efficient cars that make sense in today’s economic climate.

The new Range Rover Evoque Special Edition was designed in collaboration with pop culture icon Victoria Beckham who is also known for her award-winning fashion designs. Beckham discussed the car during an interview in Beijing.

The new Evoque was designed with a “strong masculine look,” Beckham said. The special edition gets luxury touches including rose-gold accents painted onto the wheels and emblems emblazoned with the same accents placed throughout the interior. A vintage tan leather and matte gray color scheme come together to further compliment the look.

Only 200 special edition Evoque’s are slotted for production, and each will sell for between $130,000 and $145,000.

Watch the video below to hear Victoria’s thoughts on the Range Rover Evoque Special Edition.

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In show-worthy shape, the millionth Land Rover Discovery appeared yesterday at the Beijing Auto Show after making it’s “grueling” journey from the U.K. to China. 

It began on February 29 when the SUV rolled off the line, ready to raise money for charity by taking a historic cross-continent trek. A team of drivers would take the more than 8,000-mile journey, making stops along the way in places like Chernobyl, abandoned Soviet sub bases and the Kazakhstan desert, all the way to the Beijing  Auto Show.

The trip was a recreation of the same path that “The First Overland Expedition” followed in 1955, though it had to divert to Singapore and failed to complete the route.

Aiming to raise £1million, it seems the trip has yet to reach its goal. There weren’t any numbers in the company’s press release to signal how much has been raised to date, but there is a link to contribute, which is a surefire sign that they fell short. The donations will go to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, though it’s not entirely clear when the campaign will end.

In total, the trip visited 78 cities over 10,000 miles in 50 days. While that might seem like a lot, there were four drivers participating and they travelled roughly an average 200 miles per day. That’s 50 miles per driver, or less than an hour of driving at highway speeds.

The latest Land Rover Evoque “Special Edition with Victoria Beckham” seems to possess all the right ingredients to become a proper special edition vehicle. The former “Posh Spice” member of the wildly successful Brit pop girl group Spice Girls, a stand-out BFA award-winning fashion designer, and wife of international soccer star David Beckham, Victoria has worked closely with the British Automaker in developing the latest model.

In its latest Victoria Beckham special edition offering, the Evoque features what Victoria described as a “masculine” treatment. Describing her process, Victoria Beckham explained, “When I first started working with the team I did a lot of research, and created mood boards to show the team my love of timeless and classic design. I looked at yachts, luxury jets and classic cars.”

The result is an exterior painted in a stealthy matte gray color scheme accented with a glossy black roof and trim pieces. The 20-inch wheels are black as well, each wearing 245/45 rubber, exclusive to this particular edition Evoque. Lending a softer “Posh” touch, Victoria sprinkled rose-gold accents, painted onto the wheels and plated to additional trim pieces inside and out.

As for the special Evoque’s interior, Victoria Beckham chose “vintage tan” semi-aniline leathers , finishing the seats with baseball stitching a composition that gets Mrs. Beckham to remember her family’s time in California. What’s more, Victoria also chose Mohair Carpets similar to those found in her father’s Rolls-Royce. Finally, no special edition is complete without a bespoke four-piece luggage set to go with the vehicle.

Mechanically untouched, the Evoque Special Edition with Victoria Beckham offers the same turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four engine producing 240-hp. Land Rover has decided not to tack on a bespoke “Special Edition with Victoria Beckham” badge onto the Evoque either, as a long and clumsy moniker won’t do the car any favors anyway. Instead, the limited examples will be distinguished by Beckham’s signature found inside the leather folder for the Evoque owner’s manual.

Only 200 examples of “Special Edition with Victoria Beckham” will be produced, beginning sales in the Chinese market first. Prices start at £80,000 to £90,000, or $130,000 to $145,000 after currency exchange. While a 200 percent mark up over a standard Evoque may seem outrageous, no price is too high for the well-heeled.

Check out the Evoque “Special Edition with Victoria Beckham” promo video below:

GALLERY: Land Rover Evoque Special Edition with Victoria Beckham

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The Women’s World Car of the Year award brings together female journalists from 12 different countries, and this year they chose the Range Rover Evoque as their overall winner.

The women grouped their voting into four categories: family car, luxury car, sports car and economy car. The car with the most overall points went on to win the overall title, and for 2012 that car is the sporty and luxurious Evoque.

Available in both a 3-door coupe-style as well as a more conventional 5-door crossover, the Evoque is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder making 240 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque and is priced from $43,995.

The top family car of the year was the BMW 3-series, which seems a little skewed towards European tastes, as only four of the 17 judges on the panel are from North America. The Range Rover Evoque also won the award for Top Luxury Car, and the best sports car as rated by the women was the Porsche 911. For top economy car of the year,  the women chose the Honda Civic.

The two runners up in the overall points category were the Audi Q3 in third, and the BMW 3-series in second.

The Volkswagen Up! won the world car of the year award for 2012 as voted on by 66 auto journalists worldwide.

Ward’s Auto has released its top 10 picks for best interior in 2012 today, though in no particular order. Here they are with brief notes on each car’s engine specs and starting price.

The 2012 Mazda CX-5 crossover is powered by 2.0-liter Skyactiv inline four cylinder that makes 155 hp and 150 lb-ft of torque with a starting MSRP of $20,695 with front-wheel drive.

Announced at the 2012 New York Auto Show, the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque has been named the 2012 World Car Design of the Year. 

The award is bestowed upon the car with the most unique styling design of the year, and there were 46 original competitors in this years contest. Those 46 were boiled down to three finalists, the Range Rover Evoque, the Volkswagen Up! and the Citroen DS5.

Design experts were brought in to give their recommendations to the jury of journalists who would choose the winners. One of the design experts, Sam Livingstone, said the Evoque is, ”a totally fresh take on SUV–crossover that also delivers unquestionably on being from the long lineage of Range Rover.”

The Evoque is styled like nothing else before it, and gets a nice mix of classic land rover as well as new age crossover styling.

Green with envy over the successful Toyota Hilux, Land Rover is aiming for its 2015 Defender line to become a low-cost volume seller.

With success and plenty of awards being flung at the company’s compact luxury SUV, the Ranger Rover Evoque, volume sales seem more reasonable for the British brand than they might a few years ago.

Still, the new Defender will have a steep hill to climb if it is to overcome the mighty Toyota Hilux, which recently became the first vehicle to conquer the Magnetic North Pole.

Perhaps spurred on by popular sales figures for the Evoque, Land Rover boss John Edwards said he  hopes the company will grow into a global brand instead of a brand being sold globally. That statement might seem a little bold in the face of only 20,000 defenders selling next to the 549,000 Hilux units sold in 2011.

Part of doing that will be offering more than one popular seller, which the Defender might be — if the company can settle on a design. The Defender DC100 concept got its North American debut last week in New York, but it’s still not clear if that model will make it to production.

Land Rover will also have its reputation for dubious reliability to contend with, especially if it hopes to challenge Toyota, a brand built on its dependability image, despite recent controversy.

[Source: AutoCar]

Celebrating the production of its one-millionth Land Rover Discovery, a Land Rover team treks a 50-day, 8,000 mile expedition from Birmingham to Beijing. A £1 million (GBP) fundraiser is also held to benefit the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, a Global Humanitarian Partner of Land Rover.

Just last week, Land Rover reported on its visit to Chernobyl. This week, the convoy makes a stop at an old Soviet submarine base. Serving as a reminder of Soviet’s Cold War past, the former Black Sea submarine base was one of the Soviet Union’s most protected top-secret nuclear bases during the era.

Carved out from the base of a mountain in the port town of Balaklava on Ukraine’s Crimean coast, the 15,300 sq. ft. facility took 9 years to build. At its peak, the base served as the operation home of the fearsome Soviet Black Sea Fleet, which was signed off by Joseph Stalin in 1953. To protect its assets, the entrance to the mountain base is camouflaged from any spy plane. If targeted, the base is reinforced to sustain a direct nuclear impact, sheltering a max capacity of 3,000 people, providing each with supplies to last for a month.

Now, team Land Rover has been invited to drive through its hidden tunnels and visit its history. Check out team Land Rover’s video of their visit below.

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GALLERY: Land Rover Soviet Submarine Base