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Land Rover's rock-climbing Defender will come in a PHEV version
After shelving the model in the US, Land Rover has brought back the rugged Defender and will soon launch a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the vehicle. The all-new model is far from the capable, but spartan 4x4 that last appeared in the US in 1997. It can still tackle any terrain, including 42-degree hills, but drivers will be able to go off-road with the kind of comfort and tech you'd expect from the luxury UK brand.
Range Rover's 2020 Evoque blends style with sustainability
For the last decade or so, Range Rover has built vehicles more akin to posh living rooms that occasionally go off-roading than the rough and tumble Land Rover Defender 90s of yesteryear. That trend continues with the 2020 Evoque, albeit with a number of innovations that will minimize its environmental impact when you decide to literally go over the fields and through the woods to Grandma's house this holiday.
The Velar is a Land Rover for (rich) tech-lovers
Land Rover and its family of Range Rover vehicles are known for rugged luxury. You can drive through a river in the woods during the day, rinse it off, and drop it with a valet at the opera that night. It appeals to a demographic that's more interested in the Burgundy region of France and postcards than Burning Man and DMs. So to appeal to the tech CTOs instead of the Wall Street CEOs the company introduced the Velar, its "avant garde" Range Rover.
ICYMI: The Kellogg box prize, a suped-up SUV and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-757254{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-757254, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-757254{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-757254").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: We know guys. You already lost precious time catching up with all the Apple news. That's why we're covering a virtual reality experience from Kellogg, which is sending out cereal boxes with instructions for making a VR headset out of them. In other paper-folding news, the cheapest ever foldable microscope (only 50 cents!) traveled to the Amazon rainforest and the pictures are gorgeous. And Range Rover is protecting its wealthiest patrons with an SUV that can take TNT blasts, armor-piercing gunshot rounds and other such spy-level shenanigans.
Range Rover's Sentinel SUV can survive virtually any attack
It's not uncommon for dignitaries and the super-wealthy to get armored vehicles, but Land Rover's new Range Rover Sentinel may be the protected luxury ride of choice -- especially if you're traveling through a warzone. The hand-built SUV looks exactly like the Autobiography it's based on, but has a slew of hidden upgrades that make it impervious to all but the heaviest attacks. On top of expected upgrades like bulletproof glass (it can handle armor-piercing rounds), the Sentinel has a high-strength steel passenger cell that protects against explosions from 33lbs of TNT from the side, and grenades on the floor or roof. That doesn't make it completely impervious, but it would take some deep, deep trouble to put your life at risk.
Land Rover's 'Transparent Trailer' makes your horse box invisible
Land Rover doesn't see why towing a caravan or horse box should get in the way of rear visibility. The luxury SUV-maker has created a concept system that shows drivers what's behind them as if the rear-window is free from obstructions. The idea is pretty simple: a camera on the towed object beams images of what's behind it to a display embedded in the vehicle's rear-view mirror. Land Rover already came up with something similar that makes hoods "transparent," and this idea is an extension of that.
Phone-controlled Range Rover helps you get out of a jam
Never mind those dreams of using a handheld device to steer your car from the back seat, James Bond-style -- the real purpose of remote control may be to get your vehicle past a muddy trench. Jaguar Land Rover is developing smartphone control technology that lets you pilot a car (in this case, a Range Rover Sport) at very low speeds while you're outside, helping you get past difficult terrain or tricky parking spots. You have to operate everything manually at the moment, but the hope is that this will eventually bring a level of push-button autonomy where you simply tap a button to get around some rocks or back out of your garage.
Land Rover fails in its bid to block Chinese copycats
China is famous for many things, but a deeply-held respect for the concept of intellectual property isn't one of them. It's a problem that Land Rover has just run into head-first after its claims that the Land Wind X7 was a shameless copy of its Range Rover Evoque fell upon deaf ears. Autocar is reporting that, not only did authorities dismiss the complaint, but the Chinese company has been given permission to start manufacturing the vehicle.
Jaguar Land Rover brings the boardroom to your dashboard with in-car infotainment system
The boundary between your smartphone and your car is growing thinner by the day, and Jaguar Land Rover is the latest in a long line of car companies trying to work out the ideal balance between the two. The company's InControl Apps system has been in the works for months now, and we got to take a lot at their progress (in a spiffy new Range Rover Evoque, no less) at the New York International Auto Show. Here's how it works: after you load the companion app onto your Android device or iPhone (don't worry, the experience is the same for both), you connect it to your car via a USB port nestled in the center console. After that, your handset basically becomes inoperable, while all of your compatible apps appear on your car's display.
Electric Land Rover makes it way easier to sneak up on cowardly lions
It's likely impossible to go on safari in Africa without having any environmental impact at all -- particularly on the ones where shooting things is involved -- but this is certainly a step in the right direction. Battery manufacturer Axeon has teamed up with Jaguar Land Rover South Africa to offer animal watchers / hunters a greener way to get around, outfitting the Defender 110 High Capacity Pick Up with a battery pack where the diesel engine usually goes. The new power source cuts out the car's emissions and silences the engine, making it easier to sneak up on wildlife. This concept vehicle (not Rover's first attempt to green things up) is debuting at the INDABA trade show this week in South Africa, so now would be the time to alert any antelope in your life.
Next-gen dashboards get Tegra 2, Moblin, Atom, we go hands-on
Intel Atom processors, capacitive touchscreens, NVIDIA Tegra 2 graphics, Moblin installs... sounds like a suite of hot next-gen ultra-portables, right? Think again. Those are just some of the technologies used in the dashboards of cars that will be appearing on showrooms in the coming months and years, dashes that were largely on display at CES -- minus the cars themselves, usually. There we were treated to mobile glimpses of Google Earth, Pandora, and Slacker Radio on the go, plus the ability to lock and unlock your car via Ye Olde Internets. It's the future, and it's coming soon, so click on through already and get a sneak peek.
2010 Range Rover gets 12-inch 'dual view' touchscreen
We've seen dual view prototypes for ages now, but you can bank on said technology (dubbed Parallax Barrier) being front and center on Land Rover's forthcoming flagship vehicle. Announced today at the New York Auto Show, the 2010 Range Rover will arrive with a 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system that puts off different images depending on the viewing angle. In order words, the driver can check out the route to grandma's house while the lucky soul riding shotgun peeks a DVD -- in theory, at least. The navigation system is HDD-based and also includes a USB socket and a dedicated iPod port. Land Rover even spruced up the voice activation system, giving motorists the ability to voice their concerns about climate and volume (and get instant results). Check the full snippet just past the break.[Via Engadget Spanish]
Land Rover nav system used to guide C-130 cargo plane
In a publicity stunt whose failure would surely overshadow the on-camera mishap experienced by Mercedes while demoing their Brake Assist Plus last year, the Land Rover marketing team loaded a 2006 LR3 onto a C-130 cargo plane and had the pilots fly from France to Corsica using only the SUV's navigation system. Luckily for Team Land Rover, the flight originating in Nice went off without a hitch, and the resulting three-minute documentary will be available online to showcase the nav system's ability to to guide drivers (or pilots) even off-road. Meanwhile, earthbound drivers in the UK, birthplace of Land Rover, are still unable to use their own GPS receivers to avoid driving over cliffs and into rivers.
