Marangoni's Range Rover Evoque HFI-R Puts on its Red Shoes

In keeping with its tradition of showing up at the Bologna Motor Show with an impressive concept, Italian tire manufacturer Marangoni chose this year's edition of the venue to reveal the Range Rover Evoque HFI-R.

The first thing that catches your eye as you look at the pictures is the experimental ruby red coloured Marangoni tires – well, for many it will actually be the curvalicious brunette model but that's irrelevant to this story.

Marangoni says that the bespoke “M-Power EvoRed” tires are made from special compounds with high silica content that helps rolling resistance and consequently fuel consumption. The 255/30R20 tires are wrapped around a new set of 20-inch alloy wheels from O.Z. Racing.

In addition, the bodywork of the car has been completely repainted in a special satin paint called Titanium Fluid Metal while the roof, the pillars, the door handles and the grille are finished in gloss black.

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Land Rover Brings Revised DC100 Concepts to LA Auto Show to Gauge Reactions [Updated Gallery]

Land Rover would like to know if there is an appetite for the next generation of the Defender that is being previewed by a pair of new concept models.

To that end, the British automaker brought both its DC100 hardtop and DC100 Sport convertible 4x4 studies to this week's Los Angeles Auto Show to gauge customer reactions and explore the possibility of bringing the Defender back to the US market.

"Our intention is to introduce the all new Defender in the middle of the decade - there's a lot of work to do to meet these dates and our concepts are just the start of the journey," says John Edwards, Land Rover Global Brand Director. "We are here in LA to showcase our DC100 and DC100 Sport concepts and start to actively explore the possibility of bringing the future Defender to North America."

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Rumors: Range Rover Mulling “Grand” Evoque

The Range Rover Evoque hasn’t even hit the market yet, according to a report from UK’s Autocar, Land Rover’s people are debating whether or not to add a bigger version to its line-up, which at the time being, consists of a "coupe-ish" 3-door model and a more practical 5-door variant.

If the British company goes ahead with this plan, it would allow them to bridge the gap that exists in the marque’s (Range Rover, not Land Rover) range between the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport.

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Ford and Dodge Flop, Lexus and Honda Top JD Power’s 2011 U.S. Initial Quality Study

The results are in for JD Power’s latest 2011 U.S. Initial Quality study that looks at the first 90 days of ownership and the news is not good for Ford Motor Company. The Dearborn-based company tumbled from fifth place and highest-ranking non-luxury automaker last year to 23rd in 2011 with 116 problems per 100 vehicles. Analysts claim that Ford’s freefall is due to complaints related to the company’s onboard MyFord Touch infotainment systems.

Even worse, Dodge was placed last in the list with 137 problems per 100 cars. Scion, MINI, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi and Suzuki didn’t fare well either occupying the last places in the study.

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SCOOP: Land Rover Spotted Testing the 2013 Range Rover

Although roughly less than two years away from launch, Land Rover continues to use engineering mules to test the next generation of its Range Rover model. And by mules, we mean that the British firm is utilizing a modified body of the current luxury SUV with a different front end and beefier wheel arches hiding the wider tracks of the new platform architecture.

And while the 2013 Range Rover’s looks remain a mystery for now, we do know that it will adopt a new lightweight aluminium chassis using know-how from the group’s Jaguar brand. Furthermore, the new model will feature an alloy body shell while certain components will be made of composite materials.

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Land Rover Discovery 4 gets a Light Styling Makeover from Project Kahn

Azfal Kahn and his crew have put their Range Rover tunes on the side to concentrate on another Land Rover model, the latest Discovery 4 dubbed LR4 in North America. The A. Kahn Design Discovery from Project Kahn is a purely cosmetics package with upgrades for the exterior and available options for the interior. Read more »

Project Kahn-Tuned Range Rover Sport 3.0TD V6 Davis Mark II Limited Edition

The Davis Mark II limited edition tribute is the latest addition to Project Kahn’s long line of tuned Range Rovers. We are not sure who the vehicle is named after, but for educational purposes [sic…] we found several people with the name Mark Davis on Wikipedia ranging from a British adult film actor to a cricketer, so feel free to take your pick. Back to the tune, Project Kahn’s newest creation is based on the 2011 Range Rover Sport powered by a 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel and comes with both styling and performance modifications. Read more »

Ad Watch: Land Rover Defender Passport

The clever minds over at RKCR/Y&R, a UK-based advertising agency, have created this new print campaign called ‘Passport’ for Land Rover’s rugged Defender 4x4. The ad shows an open passport with the airport stamps outlining the shape of the short-wheelbase Defender. Without using any words, the ad clearly conveys the message that the original Land Rover model is a vehicle aimed at adventurous travelers. Very clever indeed. Read more »

Jaguar-Land Rover Opens Assembly Plant in India, Rolls Out its First Model [with Video]

Gone are the times when you knew where cars were made just by looking at the brand, and when luxury carmakers made the manufacturing of their vehicles in their home country one of their top selling points. Nowadays, you have BMWs built in China, India, South Africa and the USA, Mercedes-Benz cars made in Russia, Thailand and Egypt and so on.

The latest premium automaker to go global is the Jaguar-Land Rover group, which inaugurated its first Indian factory on Friday. A Land Rover Freelander 2 SUV was the first vehicle to roll out of the assembly plant, which is located just outside Pune in the Maharashtra region of India. We’ll remind you that Ford Motor Co. sold Jaguar and Land Rover to India’s Tata Motors in 2008 after losing some US$15 billion in two years.

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One More Ranger Rover Tune for Project Kahn

While Project Kahn has ventured into several different projects over the years, the British tuner is mostly known for its work on Land Rover models. The company’s most recent creation is called the ‘Black Vogue’ and it is based on the Land Rover Range Rover Vogue. Read more »

Land Rover Wraps Evoque Prototypes in Funky Camouflage and Hits the Streets

Still not convinced that Land Rover is marketing the new Evoque (click here for pictures and a video from the presentation) as a hip crossover - even after learning about Victoria Beckham's involvement in the project? Then these photos should do the trick.

What you see here are 10 special prototype versions of the 'baby' Range Rover wrapped in trendy camouflage with each vehicle saying 'Hello' to one of the following cities: London, New York, Sao Paulo, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Berlin, Sydney, Shanghai and Moscow. The imagery on each prototype is actually a GPS mapping trail of the city it represents.

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2011 Land Rover Freelander Facelift Leaked through Brochure Shots?

We weren't supposed to see the refreshed for the 2011 model year Land Rover Freelander SUV before its world premiere either at the Moscow auto show in August 2010, or in Paris at the end of September, but Car Magazine provides our first look at the facelifted model through a group of pictures, allegedly taken from a leaked Italian brochure.

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2012 Range Rover Evoque: Videos and Photo Gallery from Presentation

Yesterday, we showed you the first official photo of Lande Rover's new small SUV, the three-door Range Rover Evoque. Now we bring you a full set of images and a video from the glitzy presentation that was held in partnership with Vogue magazine in London [hence the glamour shots, which we hope you don't mind], as well as a second video clip with 'walk-around' beauty shots of the production version of the LRX Concept.

The new 'baby' Range Rover will descend upon on us at the Paris Motor Show at the end of September and will go on sale from next summer. Few technical details were released on Land Rover's smallest, lightest and according to the company, most frugal vehicle in the brand's lineup, but we do know that customers will have a choice of both a 4WD and a 2WD version.

Furthermore, it was revealed during the presentation that Range Rover's newly appointed Creative Design Executive, Victoria Beckam (yes, the former Spice Girl), will make use of her styling expertise [sic...] on a special edition version of the Evoque. Enjoy the photo gallery and videos after the break.

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Victoria Beckham is Range Rover's New Creative Design Executive

Former pop star Posh Spice, or as she is formally known, Victoria [David] Beckham, has found a new job; she's been appointed creative design executive at Range Rover. The announcement was made yesterday during the 40th birthday celebrations of the Range Rover brand, at The Orangery, Kensington Palace, where Land Rover introduced its new Evoque 'baby' SUV.

In her new role, the pop singer-turned-fashion-designer will lend her trendy input on future special edition Range Rover design projects, starting with a Special Edition of the Evoque.

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Production Version of Range Rover LRX to be Unveiled on Thursday, July 1

Land Rover will lift the covers and announce the name of its all-new compact Range Rover model based on the LRX concept car at a special event held in partnership with VOGUE magazine [sic] for the Range Rover's 40th birthday in London on Thursday, 1st of July, the British automaker announced today.

The production version of the LRX will go on sale in 2011 and will be offered in both 2WD and 4WD configurations - a first for the company. According to Land Rover, the front-wheel drive model will emit less than 130g/km of CO2 making it the 'greenest' and most fuel efficient Range Rover ever.

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Revised 2011 Range Rover with New 313HP V8 Diesel

Didn't Land Rover introduce a facelift version of the Range Rover just over a year ago? Yes it did, but in its quest to keep up with the competition the Tatra-owned British automaker has revealed an updated 2011 model year version of its flagship 4x4.

The big news for the 2011 Range Rover is the introduction of an all-new 4.4-liter turbo diesel engine producing 313HP and 700Nm / 516.3 lb-ft of peak torque that replaces the current 3.6-liter with 271HP and 640Nm.

The V8 diesel is matched up to an also new ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifts. Land Rover claims that with this engine, the luxury 4x4 returns a combined fuel economy of 30.1mpg UK (equal to 25.1 mpg US and 9.4lt/100km) making it the first Range Rover ever to better 3 0mpg UK.

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Project Kahn Spruces Up the Land Rover Freelander

The new Freelander is the latest Land Rover model to capture the tuning attention of Project Kahn. Inspired from the Project Kahn Range Rover Sport RS600, the Freelander RS200 receives an extensive [but definitely in good taste] cosmetic makeover.

On the outside, modifications include a matt black signature bonnet stripe, silver door handles, door mirror caps and front bumper vents, as well as body colored style vents, side sills and front grille surround, and smoked side repeaters.

The Freelander RS200's stance is made much more aggressive thanks to the huge 20-inch alloy wheels that are wrapped in beefier rubber.

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VIDEO: 40 Years of the Range Rover in 1:40 Minutes

On 17 June, 2010, the Range Rover nameplate will be 40 years old and as part of the celebrations, Land Rover has released a short video showing all three generations of the luxury 4x4.

"Land Rover has a unique history of product innovation," says Phil Popham, Land Rover Managing Director. "But the Range Rover probably remains the most historically significant vehicle we have ever launched. It is one of the most important vehicles in the history of motoring."

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Land Rover Confirms 2WD Version of Upcoming LRX, Releases New Info on Hybrids

Land Rover's new sub-Freelander entry, based on the LRX concept, will be offering buyers the option of either 2- or 4-wheel drive. If the former is preferred, Land Rover assures people it will be the cleanest vehicle ever offered by the manufacturer, emitting "less than" 130 g/km of CO2.

The British firm's managing director Phil Popham says, "A 2WD option is just one way in which we are developing our vehicles efficiency whilst adding to the Land Rover range and expanding our customer base."

"We will continue to make the 'world's finest all-terrain vehicles' for those customers who require 4WD but will also now offer an alternative to those that don't," Popham added.

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