The final production version of premium compact SUV, the Range Rover LRX, is planned to be unveiled on June 17, 2010, according to insiders. The date is significant because it marks exactly 40 years since the original Range Rover was first revealed to the public.

Production is set to begin in early 2011. Positioned to be the new environmentally friendly face of Range Rover, the LRX will have the option of a hybrid drivetrain, which could be standard on more expensive versions. The styling of the final version is said to differ from the concept car. Having the same basic transverse engine platform as the Freelander, the LRX’s engine will also be built at that model’s home, the Halewood factory on Merseyside. The hybrid version of the LRX will have an electrically driven rear axle, which will work in combination with the engine-driven front wheels. Industry analysts are expecting new car buyers in western Europe to go for a downsized vehicle. Increasing in popularity nowadays are the upmarket vehicles in the Golf class (B segment). Because of this, sales of the largest SUVs are expected to be hit hard in the EU, although they will remain popular in the Middle East and other developing markets.

[via autocar]

Tags: car news, land rover lrx, land rover lrx launch date, land rover lrx production

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 at 7:50 pm and is filed under 2009, 4wheels News, Automakers, Body style, Categories, Compact cars, Land Rover, SUV/Crossover, Worldwide, Year, Zone. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.