Car Moon

Apparently, Land Rover views the Range Rover Evoque not only as its smallest, more frugal and most affordable model that will bring new customers to the brand, but also as a lifestyle statement.

That’s why, according to company insiders, Land Rover is ready for the launch of a “Victoria Beckham Special Edition” named after the former pop star and the company’s new creative design director.

In an article on a BMW-faced Honda Accord we found for sale on Craigslist back in 2008, we wrote that in a perfect world, our ultimate car would be “designed by Italians, engineered by Germans, built by Japanese and marketed by Americans”.

So, what’s the worst car one could imagine? Well, if we played around with the above statements, we’d say one designed by Japanese, engineered by Americans, built by Italians and marketed by Germans.

But UK insurance firm Warranty Direct had something a little bit different in mind. Instead of playing the origin card, the company decided to check out its database of 50,000 live policies on cars aged five years on average to part the UK’s most unreliable vehicle that would break down every other month and cost an average of £2,050 (equal to US$3,270 - €2,330) to fix each year.

After the introduction of the updated Discovery 4, Land Rover released details on its 2012 Range Rover Sport that features similar mechanical changes and equipment upgrades for the new model year.

As with the Discover 4, the Range Rover Sport’s more powerful 3.0-liter SDV6 diesel engine receives a 10HP boost lifting output from 245-horses to 256HP and is now mated to Land Rover’s new ZF 8HP70, 8-speed automatic gearbox. As a result, CO2 emissions have been reduced from 243g/km to 230g/km while combined fuel economy has improved from 30.7mpg to 32.1mpg UK.

The Land Rover Discovery 4, also known as the LR4 in North America, is entering the 2012 model year with some minor refinements, the most important of which is the introduction of a new ZF 8HP70, 8-speed automatic transmission on the 3.0-liter SDV6 diesel engine which also benefits from a power boost.

First fitted to the Range Rover TDV8 for 2011, the 8-speed auto helps improve fuel consumption to 8.8lt/100km (26.7mpg US or 32.1mpg UK) in the combined cycle and bring down CO2 emissions from 244g/km to 230g/km.

The tuners over at Project Kahn have unleashed a new customized version of the Range Rover Sport called the Miyagi edition. According to the design house, the new special edition was created with “a view to aiding the victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan”. And by that, Project Kahn means to raise awareness and have customers donate to the people of Japan through the company’s website. Read more »

Series production of the long-anticipated Range Rover Evoque began on Monday, July 4, at Land Rover’s Halewood plant. The “baby Range” has already raked in 18,000 advance orders from customers in more than 170 countries worldwide, and is expected to contribute to the UK economy with a £ 2 billion annual export value, along with another £ 2 billion spent on UK suppliers. Read more »

Land Rover’s Evoque, the smallest model in the Range Rover lineup, will go on sale in the USA this fall, however, the company has already released pricing information, with the 3-door model starting at $44,995, and the 5-door at $43,995, including destination. Read more »

The Range Rover Evoque hasn’t even hit the market yet, according to a report from UK’s Autocar, Land Rover’s people are debating whether or not to add a bigger version to its line-up, which at the time being, consists of a "coupe-ish" 3-door model and a more practical 5-door variant.

If the British company goes ahead with this plan, it would allow them to bridge the gap that exists in the marque’s (Range Rover, not Land Rover) range between the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport.

The results are in for JD Power’s latest 2011 U.S. Initial Quality study that looks at the first 90 days of ownership and the news is not good for Ford Motor Company. The Dearborn-based company tumbled from fifth place and highest-ranking non-luxury automaker last year to 23rd in 2011 with 116 problems per 100 vehicles. Analysts claim that Ford’s freefall is due to complaints related to the company’s onboard MyFord Touch infotainment systems.

Even worse, Dodge was placed last in the list with 137 problems per 100 cars. Scion, MINI, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi and Suzuki didn’t fare well either occupying the last places in the study.

Although roughly less than two years away from launch, Land Rover continues to use engineering mules to test the next generation of its Range Rover model. And by mules, we mean that the British firm is utilizing a modified body of the current luxury SUV with a different front end and beefier wheel arches hiding the wider tracks of the new platform architecture.

And while the 2013 Range Rover’s looks remain a mystery for now, we do know that it will adopt a new lightweight aluminium chassis using know-how from the group’s Jaguar brand. Furthermore, the new model will feature an alloy body shell while certain components will be made of composite materials.

Azfal Kahn and his crew have put their Range Rover tunes on the side to concentrate on another Land Rover model, the latest Discovery 4 dubbed LR4 in North America. The A. Kahn Design Discovery from Project Kahn is a purely cosmetics package with upgrades for the exterior and available options for the interior. Read more »

The Davis Mark II limited edition tribute is the latest addition to Project Kahn’s long line of tuned Range Rovers. We are not sure who the vehicle is named after, but for educational purposes [sic…] we found several people with the name Mark Davis on Wikipedia ranging from a British adult film actor to a cricketer, so feel free to take your pick. Back to the tune, Project Kahn’s newest creation is based on the 2011 Range Rover Sport powered by a 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel and comes with both styling and performance modifications. Read more »

The clever minds over at RKCR/Y&R, a UK-based advertising agency, have created this new print campaign called ‘Passport’ for Land Rover’s rugged Defender 4x4. The ad shows an open passport with the airport stamps outlining the shape of the short-wheelbase Defender. Without using any words, the ad clearly conveys the message that the original Land Rover model is a vehicle aimed at adventurous travelers. Very clever indeed. Read more »

Gone are the times when you knew where cars were made just by looking at the brand, and when luxury carmakers made the manufacturing of their vehicles in their home country one of their top selling points. Nowadays, you have BMWs built in China, India, South Africa and the USA, Mercedes-Benz cars made in Russia, Thailand and Egypt and so on.

The latest premium automaker to go global is the Jaguar-Land Rover group, which inaugurated its first Indian factory on Friday. A Land Rover Freelander 2 SUV was the first vehicle to roll out of the assembly plant, which is located just outside Pune in the Maharashtra region of India. We’ll remind you that Ford Motor Co. sold Jaguar and Land Rover to India’s Tata Motors in 2008 after losing some US$15 billion in two years.

While Project Kahn has ventured into several different projects over the years, the British tuner is mostly known for its work on Land Rover models. The company’s most recent creation is called the ‘Black Vogue’ and it is based on the Land Rover Range Rover Vogue. Read more »

Land Rover vehicles are known for offering a high level of security to their occupants, but does that apply only to traffic accidents? Well, if we are to believe a new U.S. campaign for the LR4/Discovery SUV, the feeling of safety inspired by a Land Rover vehicle goes well beyond road accidents. Read more »

The owner of this airbrushed Land Rover Range Rover was in for an unexpected and definitely unwanted surprise when his parked luxurious SUV became the victim of vandalism committed by unknown individuals. The incident presumably took place somewhere in Russia.

The artsy troublemakers not only spray painted the Range Rover and broke several components such as the bumpers and lights, but –get this- they also filled all visible openings including the doors, hood and the rear hatch as well as the alloy wheels with insulating foam!

The only piece of evident, if you can call it that, is an odd message on the rear hatch window that reads “Thelema 666 is make me sick. Is a star. What a f***?” Follow the jump for more photos of the SUV before and after the attack.

The new Land Rover Range_e diesel-electric plug-in prototype that was first teased back in May, 2010, will make its motor show debut at next month's Geneva Salon. The Range_e is said to be one of several working prototypes currently being developed at Land Rover's design and engineering centre in the UK. It is based on the Range Rover Sport model and features a 3.0-litre V6 turbocharged diesel engine with an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission mated to an, as-of-yet unspecified, electric motor and battery pack.

At next month's Geneva Salon, Land Rover will display the new Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition, which is claimed be the firm’s most luxurious model ever.

The highlight of the limited edition model are the two stand-alone rear seats, which are clad in specially selected natural leather and separated by an additional console incorporating an aluminum laptop table and refrigerator. Two Apple iPads, strapped to the front seat headrests, provide the high-tech touch.

Land Rover has launched a new special edition version of its iconic 4x4 model, the 2011 Defender X-Tech Limited Edition. To be revealed for the first time at the this week's Brussels Motorshow, the Defender X-Tech sprinkles some tasty cosmetic enhancements on the standard model.