Tata-owned Land Rover are still in trouble financially but that doesn’t stop them from doing business as usual. A new Range Rover – the LRX – will be unveiled on June 17 next year. The 2011 production run is expected to get the green light by late 2010.

The LRX will share the same basic transverse engine platform as the Freelander which boasts of a 3.2L I6 from Volvo. However, since Land Rover has also jumped into the ecomentalist trend, they’ve announced that the LRX will probably come with a hybrid variant.

The hybrid will boast of an efficient 2.0L turbodiesel engine mated to an electric motor. The system will feature regenerative brakes and a start-stop system. The hybrid system will utilize the electric motor for low speeds and will switch to the diesel when going past 20 mph.

The LRX is poised to be a premium compact SUV and is considered as the new earth-loving face of the company. Global sales of hulking SUVs have dropped due to the financial crisis and, while Land Rover acknowledges the existing market for these, they do want to cater to the wider, economically conscious market.

Source: Autocar

There’s a looming threat of additional job cuts over at Jaguar Land Rover, especially after the company revealed that it has posted a loss worth £280 million (around $463 million) in 10 months. This development was confirmed by the automaker’s parent corporation, India-based Tata Motors.

Tata Motors released information that sales of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles dropped by 32 percent over a period of 10 months up to the end of March. That’s a drop from 246,000 units to 167,000, which hardly makes the immense loss surprising.

“There has already been 2000 job losses. We may be looking at more job losses, more plant shutdowns,” said Jaaguar Land Rover vice chairman Ravi Kant in a Mumbai press conference. The company says that these job cuts could happen in the Castle Bromwich, Coventry and Solihull facilities.

Jaguar Land Rover is currently engaged in talks for some measure of financial aid from the British government. Maybe Tata can funnel some funds from their incredible Nano sales, yes?

Land Rover is taking the nitty-gritty of off-road adventures into the mobile phone scene, with the launch of the company’s upcoming Land Rover S1 rugged mobile phone designed to handle all sorts of rigors–from getting encrusted in mud to getting run over by a, well, a Land Rover.

The S1 phone is manufactured for Land Rover by Sonim Technologies, the same manufacturer perhaps best remembered for another rugged mobile phone: the Sonim XP1. “When we started making these handsets, there was no standard for how to test and benchmark rugged phones, so we created our own,” said Sonim CEO Bob Plaschke. “The Land Rover S1 is tested according to our own ‘Rugged Performance Standard’, a specific 12-point test to ensure our phones remain of the highest quality and don’t let you down when you need it most.”

Sonim’s XP1 offered very little aside from ruggedness and basic mobile phone functionality. That looks to change in the S1, as the phone has a 2-megapixel camera, GPS, a 2Gb memory slot, Java, Bluetooth connectivity, as well as a flashlight.

The car is so far slated to be released only in the UK, and should be available at Go Mobile stores for £299.99, or a shade under $500.

We’ve all heard the horror stories when it comes to warranty claims on vehicles. Contrary to the many ads about automaker’s “owner protection” guarantees, service from dealerships are often huge disappointments.

Those who have been slighted by these lemons have often taken their business over the Internet to post about their experiences, often letting people other know the reasons why they should stay away from one particular model. Pushy ones would often really take it to the dealership’s management to get things resolved but this takes quite a lot of patience and time.

And these options were no longer viable for this really pissed off Land Rover owner. Apparently, this guy has had the worst car experience with his Range Rover Sport. So what did he do? He stuck out letterings spelling out the car’s defect on its window and parked it outside a Land Rover dealership. Now talk about one-upping the dealership in advertising.

On the window, he had ”Problems with… 6 front ball joints, 4 front arm bushes, new seat base, front and rear n/s struts, full n/s suspension unit, anti-roll bar bushes, air con” stuck on and below is the message “If you want trouble free motoring do not buy one of these!!!”

Too bad for the dealership, the car can’t be towed since it was legally parked on a public space. As a bit of publicity cleanup, Land Rover offered the man a goodwill offer.

Source: Mails on Sunday

Land Rover is getting a nudge in the right direction with the UK government’s offer of £27 million, or some $37 million, in aid to bring its LRX Concept to reality.

The plan now is to develop the LRX as a smaller and more efficient vehicle, with the possibility of being badged as a Range Rover. The offered grant, however, is still not a guarantee for the LRX. “Clearly, the actual development cost is many multiples of £27 million,” said Phil Popham, Land Rover Managing Director. “But it is a welcome investment and certainly helps in the current environment.”

Popham refers to the estimated £400 million development cost for the production model of the LRX Concept. However, he insisted that the company is not looking for bailouts—only loan guarantees to “free up working capital”.

The LRX Concept, which was unveiled in the 2008 North American International Auto Show, was designed to offset the CO2 emissions issue faced with most SUVs. The concept vehicle had a proposed hybrid power train that runs on electric power for up to 20 miles. It can run on biodiesel and emission levels are pegged at 120g/km.

Source: Car and Driver

The economic crunch continues to nip away at jobs and the automotive industry is really taking a huge hit. Indian automaker Tata who owns Jaguar and Land Rover announced that 450 jobs will get the axe due to the low market demands for new cars. 300 managers and 150 agency staff will find themselves jobless soon.

To compound the bad news for the managers, Tata will not be giving managers in general any bonuses for the year and pay increases are deferred until fourth quarter this year. Jag and Land Rover Chief David Smith says that the outlook doesn’t look like things will turn around anytime soon.

Tata has taken some hard hits last year. For one, they have failed to launch the Tata Nano and got stuck in a legal row with the location of their Nano plant. Jag and Land Rover, while they still have a loyal following especially in the European market, they haven’t exactly fared too well in a global scale.

Cancellations of motorsport commitments and sponsorships are becoming the norm as car manufacturers aim to get over the current automotive industry slump. The latest casualty is the cancellation of the next Land Rover G4 Challenge.

“Given the severity of the global economic downturn and trading conditions, we need to make some tough decisions and that means prioritising our budgets on new product launches,” said Land Rover Managing Director Phil Popham, in a statement released on the event’s website. “We are disappointed for the competitors who have shown so much commitment and put tremendous effort into succeeding as representatives of their nation.

“We have and will continue to take swift and decisive actions for the benefit of the business; unfortunately that means the Land Rover G4 Challenge has to come to an early close.” Since 2007, the event also generates funds (aiming for a million pounds in the next two Challenges) in support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Popham added that the partnership is “something Land Rover highly values and we are proud that it helps to save lives.

“We will continue to build on the incredibly successful partnership we have with the International Federation and the funds generated to date prove this success.”

Source: Land Rover G4 Challenge Official Site

It’s been 60 years since the first Land Rover Defender launched in 1948, after going through some name changes and having numerous incarnations and special editions. This is why Land Rover is releasing a special limited-edition Defender SVX to commemorate the milestone.

Only 1,800 units of the Defender SVX will be assembled, and each will bear its respective number. Within the SVX beats a 2.4-liter common rail four-cylinder turbo diesel engine capable of 120 horsepower at 2000 rpm. The transmission is a standard 6-speed manual.

To highlight the diamond anniversary, the SVX has 16-inch 5-spoke alloy wheels, black body decals, a sunroof, and a front under-shield protector made from aluminum. Other features include traction control, ventilated brake discs, anti-lock brakes, remote locking, power windows, leather steering wheel, mud flaps, rear LED lights, a first aid kit, and perimeter alarm. There is also a standard mp3-synched audio system.

Land Rover also released a ‘Heritage’ special edition back in 1998, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the long-running off-road vehicle. Australia, one of Land Rover’s notable markets, is already getting 82 units out of the limited run.

Source: Go Auto

UK automaker entity Jaguar Land Rover is the latest in the line of car manufacturers seeking financial aid to shore up finances, seeking a 1-billion-pound bail-out from the UK government. The company, owned by Tata Motors of India, has seen consecutive months of sales decline.

The government reportedly will make its decision in at least two weeks. David Smith, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, said in October that government bail-outs are needed by UK automakers in order to weather the effects of the current economic crisis. “Unless we introduce further measures to reignite the UK economy, there is significant risk,” he said.

Land Rover saw a steep decline of 37 percent for its US car sales from January through October this year. The brand suffered a similar 27 percent decline in the UK through the year’s first ten months.

Jaguar Land Rover refused to comment on the reported bail-out request. With the German government stating its willingness to aid Opel, perhaps the UK government would also be more than willing to help its ailing car manufacturers.

Source: Autocar

While not necessarily a debut, we’ll be seeing the Land Rover LRX Concept at the Geneva Motor Show this month. Detroit had first dibs at the white LRX so Land Rover had the sense to give it some spin by showcasing this black and silver version.

Again, as a move away from the SUVs-are-gas-guzzlers, the LRX is powered by a 2.0L turbo diesel hybrid that’s capable of running bio-diesel. Mileage isn’t to shabby with a fuel economy of 60 mpgs. Definitely not the number that you’d expect from other similarly-sized 4×4s.

The powertrain is mated to a new Electric Rear Axel Drive system that allows the LRX to cruise at 20 mph on electricity coming from dedicated lithium-ion battery pack of the hybrid motor. The ERAD also provides some added torque when negotiating off-road obstacles.

However, as interesting as this mix of features and numbers are, Land Rover has pointed out that there is still no confirmed plans as to whether this car will make it to production or not. I hope this car gets more positive reactions from consumers and critics so that they’d put it to production.

Source: Land Rover