



The Range Rover Range_e is scheduled to go into production for 2013 and will be Land Rover's first production hybrid. Not only will the Range_e offer a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain that is capable of 85 miles per gallon, but it will also retain the off-road capability for which Land Rover is known.
The Range Rover Sport based Range_e plug-in diesel-hybrid has been in development for some time, but you might not know it. Compared to other vehicles on the Land Rover roster such as the Range Rover Evoque and the DC100 concept, you can safely say Land Rover hasn't been heavily pushing the Range_e prototype in the media. Despite this, the Range_e has been getting more notice from the industry and industry watchers alike.
Land Rover's commitment to developing hybrid powertrains has been further reinforced by the new DC100 and DC100 Sport concept vehicles revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The pair of concepts feature diesel and gasoline versions of a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The DC100 is equipped with the diesel version for maximum off-road capability and the DC100 Sport features the gasoline version.
The latest press release from Land Rover regarding the new DC100 concept really goes over the top in attempting to convince the reader that the DC100 is indeed the aesthetic and spiritual successor to the venerable Defender. It also goes to great lengths to ensure us that the concept will make an unparalleled off-road vehicle and reveals a lot about the inner workings of the DC100.
The Royal Automobile Club (RAC) Future Car Challenge has announced Land Rover will enter three Range_e diesel hybrid vehicles in the 2011 event. This year's Challenge takes place on Saturday November 5th. The live event uses a 60-mile route and the challenge is to drive from Brighton to London using the least energy possible within the 2 hour 45 minute minimum and 3 hour 30 minute maximum.