Exciting News Land Rover presents its first-ever Range Rover hybrid models

On the road early next year the Range Rover Hybrid and Range Rover Sport Hybrid. The New hybrids bring to the Range Rover outstanding fuel economy of 44.1mpg combined and 26% lower CO2 emissions with the renowned capability and performance expected of the vehicle.

The New Hybrids are available to order from September 10 with the first fortunate owners taking delivery in early 2014. The two all-aluminium models will be based on the and share an identical diesel hybrid powertrain making them the world’s first premium diesel SUV hybrids.

“We are excited to introduce the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport Hybrids, the world’s first hybrid SUVs with legendary Land Rover capability.  The addition of a smooth electric drive enhances refinement, cuts CO₂emissions and delivers staggering performance on a par with our SDV8 engine,” said John Edwards, Land Rover Global Brand Director.

To demonstrate the capabilities of the new hybrids, three Range Rover Hybrids will embark on an epic trip, from the home of the Range Rover brand in Solihull to the home of the parent company Tata, in Mumbai, India.

This ‘Silk Trail 2013’ 16,000km expedition visits 12 countries and takes in some of the world’s most challenging roads, passes and trails, including part of the ancient, 4,000 mile Silk Road connecting Asia with the Mediterranean. These are the first hybrids to ever attempt this challenging route.

The new Range Rover Hybrid powertrain features three driver-selectable modes and combines Land Rover’s popular 3-litre SDV6 diesel engine with a 35kW electric motor integrated with the 8-speed ZF automatic transmission.  The hybrid system, including lithium ion battery pack, inverter and electric motor weighs less than 120kg.

The electric motor produces 170Nm torque to boost acceleration and drives the vehicle in EV Mode. The motor also acts as a generator, harvesting kinetic energy through regenerative braking, charging the battery when the vehicle is slowing.  In driver-selectable EV mode the Range Rover Hybrid can travel at speeds of up to 30mph (48km/h) for a range of up to one mile (1.6km) before the diesel engine seamlessly restarts.

Together, output of the diesel engine and electric motor is 340PS at 4,000rpm and a class-leading 700Nm torque between 1,500-3,000rpm, resulting in stunning SDV8-style performance.  Both models accelerate to 62mph (100km/h) in under seven seconds, deliver strong transient and mid-range performance with a top speed of 135mph (218km/h), combined with a 26 per cent reduction in CO₂ emissions to 169g/km, equivalent to 44.1mpg on the combined cycle.

The latest generation Range Rover models have all been designed with the integration of a hybrid system in mind.  Consequently, the liquid cooled battery pack is mounted beneath the floor of the vehicle in a protective boron-steel cradle without impacting on the cabin or luggage space.  The Range Rover Hybrid has the same five-seat capacity and luggage space as the standard vehicle and retains the full-size spare wheel.  This no-compromise philosophy is echoed in the Range Rover Sport Hybrid whose interior is unchanged from the standard model, right down to the 5+2 seating.

Both hybrid Range Rover models continue to deliver a class-leading breadth of capability and versatility, enhanced by the exceptionally linear torque delivery from the powertrain and retaining Land Rover’s peerless four-wheel drive system including Terrain Response^® 2, with uncompromised wading and ground clearance.

The ‘Silk Trail 2013’ expedition featuring the new Range Rover Hybrids is scheduled to visit France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China and India.  The expedition will be broken into 10 separate legs, with the Range Rover Hybrid vehicles driven by teams of Land Rover development engineers and invited media – arriving in Mumbai on October 15.

Technical Specifications

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