Land Rover Is Developing a Plug-in Diesel Hybrid With 20-mile Electric-only Range
By Scott Doggett December 9, 2009
Land Rover is developing a plug-in diesel-electric hybrid version of its popular Range Rover Sport (pictured) that the British automaker claims will emit a scant 100g/km of CO2 and could offer an electric-only range of as much as 20 miles.
A small fleet of up to five prototypes will be available next year for testing ahead of a planned 2012 sales launch.
If it can be achieved, the low CO2 figure will be a significant breakthrough for the luxury brand, and it will move the Range Rover Sport's carbon emissions onto an equal footing with those of smaller, lighter vehicles such as the Citroen C1 and Ford Focus Econetic.
It would also considerably undercut the market's sole hybrid SUV, the Lexus RX450h, which emits 148g/km of CO2.
The Range Rover will use the new 3.0-liter V-6 diesel motor and feature a parallel arrangement for the 25kW electric motor, which will allow it to run as an all-electric vehicle in the manner of a Toyota Prius.
No further details are available at this time.
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