The hybrid Range Rover will be in the same road tax bracket as a Fiesta
Tree huggers will need a new target, as the Range Rover, one of the most polluting cars, is set to become greener than a Smart. A hybrid version of the Range Rover Sport is being developed that will produce fewer than 100g/km of CO2 when it goes on sale in 2013, and will be in the same road tax bracket as the Ford Fiesta and VW Polo.
The range_e prototype could alter Land Rover’s poor image with environmentalists: the Range Rover Sport produces 243g/km of CO2, and the supercharged version 348g/km.
The new model will have a hybrid electric/diesel power unit, and unlike existing 4x4 hybrids, such as the Lexus RX 450h, which uses regenerative braking to recharge its batteries, the Land Rover’s battery will be recharged from mains electricity, and, it is said, will have a 20-mile range on the 94bhp electric motor alone. A 3-litre V6 turbodiesel engine will kick in under heavy acceleration to produce a combined 340bhp, and will take over when the batteries are flat.
Land Rover, which has already started work on the hybrid system, has a £340m loan from the European Investment Bank to develop eco-friendly cars, and is to spend £800m on sustainable technologies in response to a European Union directive requiring car makers to reduce average CO2 emissions. Land Rover must cut its emissions by 25%
