| The automotive community sometimes gets a | | | | road vehicles with increasingly less CO2 emissions. |
| kick from rumours about new cars and related | | | | By that time, we expect to see more hybrid or |
| industry developments even in their early stages | | | | even full electric road vehicles so we won't be |
| in the drawing boards of big name car makers. | | | | surprised a bit to see the post-Defender SUV |
| One of them comes from the Tata-owned Land | | | | carry an electric rear axle drive with a more fuel |
| Rover SUVs. | | | | efficient engine for dual powering system as well |
| The British-pedigreed road marque Land Rover is | | | | as a body made of aerospace-grade composite |
| said to be working on a new sport utility vehicle | | | | synthetic materials lighter and stronger than |
| (SUV) that will eventually supercede its iconic | | | | anything we've come to see on the Land Rover |
| Defender. In a move akin to badgering Dad for an | | | | or Range Rover line of SUVs. |
| extra pocket money, the Jaguar Land Rover | | | | Anything and everything can still happen between |
| Company had asked owners Tata Motors for | | | | now and 2014. A rather long three-year gap can |
| additional operational budget to design, develop | | | | still lead to some new Defender variants coming |
| and engineer what is presumably the next | | | | out of the assembly line with possibly improved |
| generation Defender successor. Though, | | | | engines with slightly better performance, body |
| admittedly, it is quite unlikely that the new SUV | | | | styling, more accessories, wheel options and body |
| will carry the same name. | | | | materials. |
| The new post-Defender SUV is expected to be | | | | Though we won't expect them to be any more |
| launched sometime in 2014, quite a long stretch of | | | | dramatic than the usual cosmetic upgrades |
| time from now but nonetheless an interesting bit | | | | common in what we see getting into new |
| of automotive news similar to the excitement and | | | | variants every model year. Sticker prices are |
| anticipation generated with those rumors about | | | | likewise not going to get any cheaper. |
| new Lemans and F1 cars still on the drawing | | | | With the new cash coming into the Jaguar Land |
| board, not to mention Ferrari supercars being | | | | Rover treasure from fresh R&D capital as well as |
| spied at their Maranello test tracks. | | | | seeing an upsurge in domestic and international |
| There's little doubt the new off-road all-terrain | | | | sales getting into its coffers starting with |
| 4X4 sport utility vehicle will get to wear some of | | | | February's nearly 60% increase in sales receipts, |
| the Defender's hallmark styling and the Land | | | | we hope to see more exciting times ahead for |
| Rover's heritage lines but it will generally gravitate | | | | the Rover product line-up. Its markets are sure to |
| towards being a radically more sophisticated | | | | benefit from it, and the press would be more |
| departure from the current workhorse. | | | | than happy to write oodles of praise about it, or |
| It might even be a hybrid of sorts to latch on the | | | | criticisms. |
| ever so popular eco-friendly trend among modern | | | | |