Here at Land Rover Birmingham, when we first heard that our favorite British automaker was coming out with a diesel powered hybrid, we were not as excited as you might expect. We were certainly happy to know that Land Rover remains on the forefront of off-road innovation, but we had been told that this new powertrain was only going to be available to drivers in Europe so we didn't pay all that much attention to the story when it broke. That was the case until we heard announcements from Land Rover officials that there has been a change in plan, and after the new diesel hybrid debuts at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor show it will be heading to the United States as well.
Land Rover began working on this new powertrain due to the ever-increasing European emissions regulations as well as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards that mandate that production vehicles must achieve 54.4 miles per gallon by the year 2025. We suspect that the company decided to make these vehicles available to residents of the U.S. after watching the popularity of diesel cars and SUVs rise 24 percent between 2010 and 2012.
The first new Land Rover models to be equipped with the hybrid powertrain will be the Range Rover Sport. We suspect that it will come with a 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel engine and a large electric motor under the hood.
You can be sure to get all the details about this upcoming model here on our blog as they emerge. To learn more about this Land Rover technology and even test drive one of our legendary vehicles for yourself, stop by our showroom located at 3000 Tom Williams Way Irondale, AL 35210 and speak with our friendly staff.