Jaguar Reportedly Looking into the SUV Segment

According to UK magazine Autocar, Jaguar is considering the development of a crossover / SUV model, presumably to boost sales in Europe and the North America. While creating internal competition for Land Rover models, such as the Evoque, doesn’t sound like a good idea, the project has the backing of Jaguar boss Adrian Hallmark.

“We need a crossover and we need to stop being a saloon-based company”, he told Autocar. This gives the news some credibility, otherwise we might have been tempted to dismiss it as an empty rumor.

But what could determine Jaguar to make such a move? The first thing that comes to mind is economy of scale. Creating an entry-level crossover – if that’s what Jaguar aims for – wouldn’t cost the British automaker an arm and a leg. The Evoque can provide the base, at minimal expense.

With this out of the way, the problem of positioning the new model remains. The alleged Jaguar crossover would cost more and we're not sure if customers will be willing to fork out the extra cash. On the other hand, pricing it as a comparable Land Rover model would create unwanted internal competition.

However, there are success stories of once niche-manufactures embracing the crossover/SUV hype, most notably Porsche with the Cayenne. When it hit the market, much to the dismay of Porsche purists, no one predicted just how important the SUV would become for the German maker.

Today, the bulk of Porsche sales are made up by the Cayenne and, who knows, that could also be the case with Jaguar.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Autocar

Project Kahn Teases Ranger Rover Evoque Cosworth

Land Rover's newcomer won't be arriving in dealerships before the second half of 2011, yet the tuning industry is already rubbing its hands and making plans for the development of numerous sport packages for the Range Rover-badged Evoque. Project Kahn, known for its tinkered Land Rover proposals, has released this single teaser image of the Evoque 5d along with the information that the compact SUV will be powered by a Cosworth-prepped engine.

Apart from that, the British tuner didn't reveal anything else about the model, though it's probably safe to assume that Cosworth will work on the 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine, which delivers 240-horsepower in stock form.

Source: Project Kahn , Via: Autoblog.nl

VIDEO: New Range Rover Evoque 5-Door Launch Film

Now that Land Rover has unleashed most of the details surrounding its new Range Rover Evoque 5-door, the British company is turning its attention on promoting the crossover model to the social media. Beginning from Wednesday, December 1st, the automaker will share a new animated film of the five-door Evoque on its official social media pages including Facebook. For those curious enough (or bored...) to want to take a look, follow the break for the official clip.

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Range Rover Evoque 5-Door Blasts into LA Show

Following the presentation of the three-door model earlier this year, the five-door version of the all-new Range Rover Evoque made its global public debut at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. Despite the added practicality and -according to Land Rover- slightly more spacious cabin, the 5-door Evoque looks as good as it's three-door sibling.

"The addition of the five-door to the Range Rover Evoque line-up extends the appeal of our brand still further," said Land Rover's Managing Director Phil Popham. "While retaining everything that's great about the Range Rover Evoque coupe, this new five-door bodystyle will offer customers even more choice, greater versatility and flexibility."

The new 5d model measures 1.18 inches (30mm) taller than the so-called coupe model offering more headroom, while rear seat passengers also benefit from over 1.97 inches (50mm) more shoulder room. When required, the Evoque's luggage capacity can be expanded to a considerable 51 cubic ft (1445 liters) with the rear seats folded down.

While European buyers will get the option of diesel powerplants, here in the U.S. the Evoque 5d will be offered exclusively with a 2.0-liter Si4 gasoline engine that combines direct fuel injection, turbocharging and twin variable valve timing, for an output of 240bhp and a 0-60 mph [96 km/h] sprint time of 7.1 seconds.

At launch, U.S. models will come fitted with standard permanent all-wheel-drive with the Land Rover Terrain Response system and a six-speed auto transmission.

North American deliveries will begin from Fall 2011 with indicative pricing starting from around $45,000.

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VIDEO: New Range Rover Evoque 5-Door Previewed on Film

The wait for the five-door version of the promising Range Rover Evoque soft roader is almost over as in less than a week's time, we'll see the SUV up close at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Following yesterday's detailed photo presentation, we now have the first video footage of the Evoque, which will hit U.S. dealerships next fall with a 240-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot petrol and a starting price of around $45,000.

In most of Europe, the Evoque will go on sale earlier in summer of 2011, with powertain options including a pair of diesel engines as well as the 2.0-liter turbo petrol. At least in the UK, France, Italy and Portugal, the base Evoque 5d with front wheel drive will start at around €35,000. Watch the two films after the jump.

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First Official Photo of New Range Rover Evoque 5-Door

At the world premiere of the new Range Rover Evoque 3d (see here) at the Paris Motor Show today, Land Rover re-confirmed it will be producing a more practical, five-door version of its new compact SUV model and released the first official photo of the vehicle before its official reveal later this year.

The British automaker did not release any other details on the SUV but it is safe to assume that the 5-door variant will be offered with the same four-cylinder engines announced for the 3-door model, including a 2.2-liter turbo diesel with 150HP and 190HP derivatives, and a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline producing 240HP.

Both diesel and petrol engines are offered with an updated six-speed auto transmission, while the Evoque will be the first Range Rover model to be available in both four-wheel-drive and front-wheel-drive versions.

Sales of both the three- and five-door versions of the Evoque are expected to start next summer.

New Range Rover Evoque: First Video Footage of 3d SUV on the Move

Land Rover just released some new videos of its upcoming Evoque in motion, and it continues to convince. Interested? Hit the jump for the vids, or head over to our previous post for all the details.

Debuting at next week's Paris Auto Show as a 3-door model (the 5-door's on the way, don't fret), the new mini-Range will get turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel and gasoline engines; the 2.2-liter diesels will come in 150-horsepower and 190-horsepower flavors, while the 2.0-liter gasoline engine will put down a still-undisclosed output (where you at, Rover?).

Not only that, but the diesels post some impressive fuel economy numbers as well. How do you feel about 50 mpg Imperial / 41.6 mpg US from the low-output diesel with 4-wheel drive? Good, that's how.

It will be available in both 4-wheel driver and front-wheel drive (a Rover first), come in three trim levels, and provide owners with one very attractive interior. Live shots are on the way.

By Phil Alex

Paris Preshow: Range Rover Evoque Revealed in Detail, gets Four-Cylinder Turbo Engines

We've finally got some more artsy pics of the new Range Rover Evoque, which is set to be in a lot of peoples' driveways come next summer. Oh, hey, there are specs, too. Just to get the pricing issue out of the way, Rover says it'll start at £30,000 when it arrives in the UK next summer (foreign pricing to come at a later date).

The "low carbon" front-wheel drive (or optional full-time four-wheel drive) Evoque is called a "cross-coupé", and is kind of like the new-urban spiritual successor to the old 3-door Range Rover. A four-door model is also on the way (see the spy shots here), but I'll stay with the shooting brake of SUVs, thank you very much.

From the pics, you can see the divine interior - in this case coated in leather with "twin needle" stitching - houses the expected Terrain Response system, a Jag-inspired transmission knob, and all the cell/MP3 connectivity you'll ever need.

The dash also gets an optional dual-view 8-inch screen (the kind where driver and passenger have the ability to see different projections on the monitor).

Audio from your iPod will be routed through a 17-speaker Meridian system and backed by 825 watts, while above the seating area is your gateway to the stars (or a glass panoramic roof, if you're not feeling as inspired as I am right now).

Power for the most elite of cute-utes comes from a series of gasoline and diesel turbo engines that incorporate start/stop tech, while the Evoque also stays a little greener thanks to electronic power-assisted steering (which is considered a low-CO2 system).

The four-cylinder turbodiesels are based on a 2.2-liter unit and provide either 150 or 190 horsepower.

Opting for the FWD 150-horse diesel earns you the most green points with an estimated fuel economy of 58 mpg Imperial (48.3mpg US or 4.9lt/100km) and under 130 grams of CO2 per kilometer of emissions (the 4X4 low-output diesel comes in at a still impressive 50 mpg (41.6mpg US or 5.6lt/100km) and under 145 g CO2 / km).

On the other hand, if you're looking to burn gasoline and have a closer power-to-torque ratio, go with the 2.0-liter Si4 engine. Using direct injection, turbocharging, and variable valve timing, the car puts down...well, Rover didn't say, but the 0-60mph (96km/h) claim is 7.1 seconds.

Suspension duties are handled by a MagneRide setup in order to make handling sporty yet comfortable (though that claim will only be proven once it's been tested). Land Rover program director Murray Dietsch says that they've "tuned the Range Rover Evoque's chassis and Electric Power-Assisted Steering (EPAS) to deliver precise and responsive steering at lower speeds, making the car nimble and fun to drive."

To keep things relatively simple, the Evoque will come in three flavors from the get-go: 1) "Pure" (aka Base), which provides the car, soft-touch materials, and aluminum trim; 2) "Prestige" (aka Luxury), which adds 19-inch wheels and a lot of leather; and 3) "Dynamic" (aka Sport-Lux), which adds 20-inch wheels, unique exterior styling (bumpers, grille, spoilers with contrasting colors, etc.) and sports seats. There will also be a hybrid in the future, so expect this little guy to get even greener.

Of adding a smaller Range to Rover's lineup, CEO Dr. Ralf Speth says, "These are exciting times for our business. Not only will the Range Rover Evoque increase our worldwide market share, it helps to define a new segment for premium compact SUVs that are more sporting and stylish."

We'll have more on Land Rover's promising Evoque from the Paris Show floor on September 30.

By Phil Alex