comeback – All about car

Land Rover will this autumn kick off an extremely significant two-year period of consolidation and expansion, following a turbulent 18 months, that will define the brand for the next decade. A great deal of the activity will relate not just to the launch of four new vehicles but also increased electrification within its line-up. Although the marque’s pure-electric vehicles are still some years away – with sibling brand Jaguar leading the group in this market segment – all new Land Rover models from late 2019 will be offered with the option of mild-hybrid or plug-in hybrid drivetrains, allowing it to leave its diesel difficulties behind. Perhaps the most important addition during that time will be the all-new Mk5 Range Rover, imagined by Autocar above, which is expected to be unveiled in 2021. The mainstream version of the new flagship will be a plug-in hybrid based on an all-new aluminium platform, dubbed MLA. It has been designed to be much lighter than the current Jaguar Land Rover aluminium architecture, as well as accommodating conventional engines and/or electric drive. Autocar understands that there will be an all-electric Range Rover 5, but it will be targeted at city users, particularly in east Asia. The vast majority of sales, however, are expected to be of the plug-in hybrid version, which will combine the new straight-six Ingenium engine with twin electric motors – one assisting the front wheels and one driving the rear axle. Land Rover engineers hope that the combination of the new architecture and downsizing the engine will offset the weight of the battery pack, which will offer around 40 miles of pure-electric driving. A mild-hybrid Range Rover 5 will use a very similar set-up to the upcoming Range Rover Sport, so expect 300- 400bhp versions of the new straight-six Ingenium engine assisted by both a 48V electric supercharger and a twin-scroll turbocharger. Kinetic energy that would otherwise be wasted is harvested and stored in a small battery that, in turn, powers the engine’s electric supercharger. The upshot of this electrification push is that JLR should easily meet its 132g/ km EU CO2 target in 2021. This target is less stringent than the 103g/km applied to its Volvo rival because JLR is a smaller-scale manufacturer of large cars selling fewer than 300,000 vehicles in the EU. As such, the UK government successfully argued, it needs more leeway in meeting fuel economy targets. However, the EU fleet CO2 targets for 2025 (15% lower than 2021) and 2030 (31% lower) are far more onerous, and it’s possible an expanding JLR will lose its derogation, making large-scale sales of plug-in hybrids essential from 2024 onwards. And here, for once, JLR is confidently on the front foot, as its prepares to roll out the new MLA architecture. Elsewhere in the line-up, Autocar understands that the Range Rover Sport is getting a significant mid-life hybrid makeover now as a vote of confidence in its enduring appeal. Sales continue to be very strong and a replacement is thought to be at least three years away. Further out, it’s thought that the first globally targeted Land Rover EV will be the so-called ‘Road Rover’, which will be much lower and more aerodynamic than other Range Rovers. Despite JLR’s new ‘Project Charge’ cost-cutting efforts, Autocar understands the Road Rover is still on the company’s model cycle plan and will most closely compete with Porsche’s next-generation electric Macan and be twinned with the next-generation Jaguar XJ. The future, MLA-based Velar could also be offered in pure-electric form, but that next-generation model is thought to be more than four years away from launch, and remains at the planning stage. In the shorter term, the long-awaited Defender will be revealed to the public this year. It will be sold in mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid forms. Fears that a plug-in Defender, with an electrically powered rear axle, would be compromised off road are, Autocar understands, misplaced. An electric motor offers maximum torque from step-off and the torque delivery is far more controllable than with a conventionally driven rear axle, greatly improving off-road performance. There’s no firm news on a pure-electric version of the Defender, but it remains a possibility. However, a plug-in hybrid with 35 miles of silent and emission-free electric range could be as useful off road as in a city centre. In the immediate future, the new Range Rover Evoque, which rolls on a completely re-engineered platform and has received praise for its refinement and poise, is already available with a mild-hybrid set-up, assisted by a belt-driven starter/generator. Early next year, though, the Evoque plug-in hybrid will arrive using a three-cylinder engine, a 48V hybrid system and an electrically driven rear axle. The three-cylinder engine alone develops a healthy 197bhp and 148lb ft of torque from 1.5 litres. In addition, the electric motor on the rear axle
Origin: Land Rover plots comeback with hybrid-led new model blitz

A teaser image of the electric Lotus Type 130Lotus On Tuesday in Shanghai, Lotus announced a concept for the first fully electric British hypercar, the Type 130. Unveiled on the morning of the first day of this year’s Shanghai International Auto Show, the Type 130 would be the first all-new car from the Hethel, England-based automaker in 11 years. The news arrived after word that Lotus parent company Geely would begin manufacturing cars in China, working from a new, US$1.3-billion factory in Wuhan. A spokesman from Lotus declined to say when the factory would open but said the new vehicle would not be built there, but at company factories in England. But having come through a sporadic sales history in North America and an ownership change in 2017 to the privately held Chinese automotive giant Geely, Lotus executives say the new electric vehicle marks a turning point for the 71-year-old brand. If all goes as planned, the million-dollar Type 130 will serve as the halo car for a new generation of Lotus motor cars. “It’s a statement of intent: Electric is part of the strategy going forward,” said Phil Popham, chief executive officer of Lotus. “For Lotus, it has to be all about the driving experience—and electric will drive the value of every car we make.” Despite releasing scant details of the new car, and only a vague rendering at the Chinese show, Lotus said the Type 130 is in “advanced stages of development.” A physical representation of the car will be revealed along with full specifications later this year in London, Popham said. Production numbers are expected to be very low, though the CEO said he has already received letters of intent from several eager buyers. The news of the Type 130 came with the additional announcement of the Lotus Evora GT4 Concept, a track-only racer with a lightweight carbon-fibre body, a 450-horsepower V6 engine, and a top speed of 273 km/h. Both cars are examples of a renewed push at Lotus – after a roughly £1.5 billion (US$1.97 billion) investment from Geely – to gain relevance in the key U.S. and Chinese automotive markets. “Awareness is high for us in the U.S., but familiarity is low,” Popham said. “We consider ourselves a 71-year-old startup.” Last year, Lotus sold just 1,630 vehicles globally; 228 of those were in the U.S. But there is indeed plenty of history to leverage. During the 1970s and ’80s, the brand was known for its racing success and association with the jet set—not the least of whom was James Bond himself. In 1978, Mario Andretti won America’s last Formula 1 World Championship as the driver for Lotus. Lotus cars such as the Esprit were beloved for their supercool style—élan strong enough to make owners overlook their famously quirky mechanics, tight interiors, and sometimes lackluster build quality. Popham said in time, there will also be a Lotus SUV and other sports cars built on new platforms. He also mentioned Lotus would consider opening a classics department where versions of fan favorites – the Eclat, Esprit, and Europa, say – could be restored with dead stock or modern components. Aston Martin, Jaguar, and Land Rover have successful programs doing the same. When asked if Lotus would ever bring back the ’70s-cool wedge-shaped Esprit in particular – this was the one that became a submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me – Popham eagerly if noncommittally nodded: “At some point, we’d love to have a car called Esprit
Origin: Lotus, aiming for comeback, announces the U.K.’s first all-electric hypercar