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Land Rover will downsize with a pair of hybridized turbodiesel sixes

Europe's automotive industry has ground to a halt, but the strict emissions regulations that went into effect in early 2020 are still looming on the horizon. Land Rover is preparing to launch a pair of hybridized turbodiesel six-cylinder engines in a bid to comply with the regulations and avoid paying huge fines, according to a recent report. British magazine Autocar learned Land Rover has applied the mild hybrid technology already offered on the Evoque and the Discovery Sport, its two smallest models, to a 3.0-liter straight-six to obtain 300 horsepower. The company will also release a more powerful version of the six rated at about 350 horses. The former will be available on HSE, HSE Dynamic and Autobiography Dynamic variants of the Range Rover Sport, while the latter will be added to upmarket models like the HST. The full-size Range Rover (pictured) will get them, too. The sixes represent a two-pronged approach to replacing the 4.4-liter turbodiesel V8 available in Europe, among other markets. It delivers 335 horsepower and 546 pound-feet of torque, and it sends the Range Rover from zero to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds while giving it a 7,700-pound towing capacity. These figures are hard to argue against, but it's an older engine that's increasing the company's fleet-wide average emissions output, so it has to go. The mild hybrid system won't power either Range Rover on electricity alone, but it will make them cleaner and more efficient; losing a pair of cylinders will help in both areas, too. Although Land Rover hasn't confirmed plans to ax the V8 or launch a hybridized six, suppliers have started publishing information about the powertrain, so its launch is believed to be around the corner. Time will tell whether it will appear on the current-generation models or their replacements, which are undergoing shakedown testing globally and due out in the coming months. Sister company Jaguar will use the mild hybrid technology, too. The six-cylinder will find its way into the XF and the F-Pace, which are both expected to receive comprehensive updates before the end of 2020. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Talking Land Rover Defender, Ford Bronco and GMC Jimmy | Autoblog Podcast #586

2021 Jaguar F-Pace hides big interior and powertrain changes under familiar sheetmetal

Jaguar's first-ever crossover is getting a major update. The 2021 Jaguar F-Pace, while looking not much different on the outside, is hiding an all-new interior as well as new engines. The changes to the exterior are quite mild, rather like those of the F-Type. Headlights and taillights are more slender, with the tails losing their little rounded sections altogether. The grille and diffuser areas of the bumpers have been slightly changed, and the main grille gets different inserts on all trims. The fender vents now get the "Leaper," the cat logo, embedded in them. Under the hood are two types of engines. There's the familiar turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder at the base of the range with 246 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. Above that are two versions of the new inline-six-cylinder engine, both of which use a regular turbocharger and an electric supercharger. The less-potent version makes 335 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque, while the high-output version makes 395 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. Each engine also gets a belt-driven starter-generator powered by the same 48-volt electrical system that drives the electric supercharger. All engines are coupled to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission and rear-biased all-wheel-drive system. The interior gets the most immediately noticeable changes. The curvy, rounded dash of the outgoing model is replaced with a more crisp design with better-integrated air vents and large sections of contrasting leather and other accents such as metal or wood trim. An available 11.4-inch infotainment screen dominates the center stack, and it runs the new Pivi Pro infotainment system launched on the Land Rover Defender and the Jaguar I-Pace. This infotainment system can support pairing two phones at once and can receive over-the-air updates. The instrument cluster is available as a 12.3-inch screen that can be configured to show an array of different information including navigation info. The old shifter dial is replaced with a small leather and metal shift lever. Jaguar is also including more features as standard in the F-Pace. Among them are heated seats, a Meridian sound system, keyless entry, blind-spot monitoring and a surround-view camera. Active noise cancellation is also standard and a first on a Jaguar. Pricing and the on-sale date for the new F-Pace have not yet been announced. Related Video:

Jaguar's Callum: 'Huge' opportunities with electric vehicles

Eventually, some brave innovator, with an imagination light years ahead of the rest of us mere mortals, will envision an automotive future that the rest of us can't conceive. This person will step up and tell us how electric vehicles have the potential to change our lives for the better. They'll have the guts to tell us that if we could only open our eyes, we'd see that there's a way to get from one place to another that doesn't pollute the air we breathe. They'll explain that it won't just be globally responsible, it'll be magnificent. Yes, the electric car needs a champion, a figurehead, someone so inspirational that comic book superheroes are modeled after him. Finally, that champion has revealed himself. Saying out loud what the enlightened few of us know but dare not utter for fear of ridicule, our hero has spoken. "Electrification will kickstart the biggest change in automotive design in history," Ian Callum, design director at Jaguar told Autocar. That Jaguar sees the potential for electric vehicles is welcome progress. Sarcasm aside, that Jaguar sees the potential for electric vehicles is welcome progress. Even more appealing is that Callum approaches the potential of EVs from a design angle, where the slate is essentially blank, he feels, and so much is possible. "The opportunities an electric powertrain offers are huge," Callum says, "especially in terms of the space for occupants. By removing so much of the mechanical hardware and placing the batteries in the floor plan you open up all sorts of possibilities with packaging." To peer into Callum's mind when it comes to EV design would be extraordinary to behold. In many ways, his vision truly is something most of us cannot grasp completely, having spent a long career designing some of the most desirable cars of our time for some of the most prestigious automotive brands on the planet. So when he talks about the freedom EVs present from a design standpoint, it's not difficult to get excited. A Jaguar EV isn't as far-fetched as it might seem at first. Plus, a Jaguar EV isn't as far-fetched as it might seem at first, as Callum explains. "I'm clear in my mind that an electric Jaguar would be suitable for the brand," he says. "You have to move with the times and design for the opportunities. Look at the C-X75 concept – that was a car that was designed for an alternative powertrain, and nobody had any complaints about how that looked.