Jaguar Land Rover unveiled a plug-in hybrid version of its four-wheel drive Range Rover Sport model at the Geneva Motor Show on 1 March.
It has a three-litre diesel engine, which when coupled with a 69-kilowatt electric motor and a lithium ion battery, cuts CO2 emissions to 89 grams per kilometre. This is about a third of the emissions from a conventional model. The batteries can be fully charged in four hours and the maximum all-electric range is 20 miles.
The vehicle is one of five demonstration models developed with UK government financial backing.
Land Rover intends to put a diesel-electric hybrid into production in 2013, probably based on the Range Rover Sport. But it will not be a plug-in vehicle.
The carmaker will soon start selling a new ‘baby’ Range Rover called Evoque. Its CO2 emissions will be under 130g/km.
