Land Rover recently secured a $38 million grant from the U.K government to investigate building an environmentally responsible vehicle, likely to be based on the LRX Concept that debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in 2008. And according to a recent report in the U.K.'s AutoExpress, Land Rover has given the project the green light.
The upcoming smaller SUV will be a sporty model and feature a full hybrid powertrain, meaning it will be able to run on electric power, gasoline power, or a combination of both. Electric power may even be able to be split between axles, and distributed to either side of the SUV in order to obtain maximum grip.
The vehicle is still at least two years away from being introduced to the market, but other hybrid-like technologies are expected to make their way into Land Rover models before then. For starters, Land Rover is currently developing a start-stop system that will shut off the engine when at a stop light or in traffic. A regenerative braking system is also in the works, that would see energy from braking stored in a battery and then either used to power on-board electronics or even be used to help power the SUV.
More:
Land Rover Green-Lights LRX Hybrid on AutoGuide.com
Land Rover Green-Lights LRX Hybrid
Linear Mode
