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Land Rover Straightline Archives

The List: Last Month's 20 Quickest-Selling Cars

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One factor that's influential in determining whether a model is one that dealers won't be able to keep in stock on the lot is, of course, demand. If buyers are lining up 'round the block to get their hands on a certain model, this frenzied enthusiasm will likely have an impact on inventory levels.

The other factor concerns supply. Brand-new models frequently make the list of quickest-selling vehicles because with these models, manufacturers often choose a cautious approach when it comes to supply; production is grown slowly and carefully with the intention of making sure that the products aren't plagued with glitches. 

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Video: Range Rover and Victoria Beckham Tease Special Edition Evoque for Beijing

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As you're likely aware, Victoria Beckham has been tied to the Range Rover Evoque since day one. She was even appointed "creative executive" at LR during the initial rollout.

And now, finally, she has her own special edition Evoque set for debut at the 2012 Beijing Motor show. I'm as excited for this as I am for the convertible.

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Jaguar Land Rover Now Worth $14 Billion, IPO Looming

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In 2008, Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors for $2.5 billion. Most people saw this as the end of the line for the high-end British brands as it seemed unlikely that a low-cost, high-volume Indian carmaker could continue to produce some of the world's finest cars.

How wrong they were.

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Wards Names 10 Best Interiors. Sonic, A7, Beetle Honored

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Ward's Auto -- famed for their 10 Best Engines list -- has, for the second year in a row, compiled a 10 Best Interiors list.  Ward's staff decided the award by "applying the same proven model used to select Ward's 10 Best Engines."

The field consisted of 40 vehicles with "new or significantly improved interiors" and the winners are...

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2012 Geneva Auto Show: Range Rover Evoque Convertible Concept

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Turns out those pictures that leaked ahead of the show were dead ringers for the real Range Rover Evoque convertible. Yes, that is Range Rover and convertible in the same sentence, as if it were a perfectly natural thing.

Land Rover even noted that this concept is the world's first "premium" SUV convertible so as not to be confused with all those bottom-feeder SUV convertibles like the Murano and the Wrangler.

Like most concepts that look suspiciously like production vehicles, the Range Rover Evoque will be considered for production based on the reactions gleaned during the show. It doesn't look half bad in person, and unlike the standard Evoque, you can probably see fairly well out the back. Has to be tough to make a business case for, however, even if Land Rover's fortunes are on the upswing these days. Then again, the British love their convertibles.


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Range Rover Evoque Convertible Leaked Before Geneva Show

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Thanks to the Range Rover Evoque Convertible, the Nissan Murano is no longer alone in the compact luxury convertible segment. Finally.

This concept, like the Murano CrossCabriolet concept, was built to gauge consumer reaction to such a vehicle. Unlike the Murano, however, we can see people actually lining up for this one. Not that this mess is any prettier than the Nissan, but because it's a Range Rover (with 21-inch wheels) and not a Nissan. Sorry, but to the people who want a luxury convertible crossover, a Range Rover is more desirable than a Nissan.

To make the change, RR says it will need to add 165 pounds of strengthening material. When we tested an AWD model, it weighed 4,015 lbs. The Murano we tested tipped the scales at 4,420 lbs.

Range Rover says that they've currently built 50,000 Evoques and have orders in for an additional 60,000. Once they can start building these as fast as they can sell them, a convertible seems like a done deal.


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IL Track Tested: 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

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Packing a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4, the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque promises better on-road performance than any Land and/or Range Rover before it while still maintaining strong capabilities off the beaten path. While our verdant Fontana, California, test site provides little opportunity to try out the latter on the 2012 North American Truck of the Year, its abundant pavement allowed us to see how this stylish, inspired-by-Posh-Spice SUV stacks up numbers-wise in the increasingly crowded luxury crossover segment.

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Hyundai Elantra, Range Rover Evoque Win North American Car/Truck of the Year

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The Range Rover Evoque beat out such notable trucks as the BMW X3, Honda CR-V and Mini Countryman to win the coveted North American Truck of the Year award announced today at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show.

There was real competition this year in the car category, however, where the Audi A6/A7, Buick Verano, Chevy Sonic, Chrysler 300, Fiat 500, Hyundai Accent, Scion iQ, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Camry, VW Passat and more all fought for the top spot.

When the dust cleared it was the Hyundai Elantra that walked away with the win. Previously on Inside Line the Elantra won a comparison against the Cruze and Civic, but was handily bested by the 2012 Ford Focus Titanium in another test.

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The List: 4 Rugged Yet Civilized Off-Road Machines

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Yes, everybody knows that the Jeep Wrangler is a wonderful choice if you're hoping to travel where the off-road path takes you. But the Wrangler -- for all its rustic, bare-bones charm -- may not be the most amenable companion during the five days of the week that you spend enduring tedious workday commutes and gridlocked city traffic. 

That's where these four picks come in.

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North American Car and Truck of the Year Finalists Announced

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The 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year finalists have just been announced and there are few surprises.

A group of 50 automotive journalists have voted on cars which are "all new or substantially changed" and have narrowed it down to three cars and three "trucks." The finalists are...

 

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2011 L.A. Auto Show: Land Rover Defender Concepts

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We last saw the Defender concepts at the Frankfurt auto show just last month, where they started the conversation about bringing a new Defender to the world. Land Rover confirmed today that it does intend to launch a new Defender for the global market in 2015.

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Exclusive First Drive Video: Land Rover DC100

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European Correspondant Alistair Weaver is in our neck of the woods this week for the 2011 LA Auto Show. After sampling from the generous Edmunds HQ coffee bar and laughing at our colonial accents, he hit the nearby Santa Monica beach to drive the Land Rover DC100 Concept.

Teaser: What, did you expect an Alistair video to not have a babe in it?  

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James Bond 23 to Feature Range Rover Evoque?

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MSN Cars is reporting that "inside sources" in England saw a Range Rover Evoque delivered to Pinewood Studios this week. As that is the traditional production home of the James Bond franchise, people immediately put two and two together and decided that the Evoque will be featured in next year's new James Bond movie likely to be titled "Skyfall."

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North American Car and Truck of the Year Short List Candidates Announced

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 The short list of finalists for the 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year were announced today with only a few surprises.

For NACOTY we have: Audi A6, Audi A7, Buick Verano, Chevy Sonic, Fiat 500, Chrysler 300/SRT-8, Ford Focus, Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Veloster, Kia Rio/Rio5, Scion iQ, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Camry, Toyota Prius V, VW Beetle, VW Passat.

NATOTY isn't so simple and has the only surprise of the group with the addition of the Mini Countryman. Other entries in the truck field include the BMW X3, Honda CR-V, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Mini Countryman, Nissan Quest and the Saab 9-4X.

The top three in each field will be announced in December and the winners will be announced at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. I've got solid money in iQ / 9-4X, you?

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2011 Frankfurt Auto Show Video: Jaguar & Land Rover Reveals

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Jaguar-Land Rover's in-house video department put the video together after the jump. It includes running footage of the C-X16, C-X75 and DC100 concepts (or possibly CG footage) as well as interesting insights from key J-LR executives.

Teaser: "Feast your eyes on this beauty ..." Um, you're introducing a car, not a show pony.

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2011 Frankfurt Auto Show Video: Land Rover DC100 Concept

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It's not every day Land Rover redesigns the Defender. Actually, it's not even every decade, or century for that matter. As such, the DC100 Concept is a very big deal, as it's Land Rover's first damp finger stuck into the air intended to gauge interest on one possible direction. But why read a Canadian's thoughts when you can hear an honest-to-god Brit's? Follow the jump for Alistair Weaver.

Teaser: "If you've waited 60 years to do it, you might as well do it right."

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2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: Land Rover DC100 Sport

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It was no secret that Land Rover was unveiling a concept in Frankfurt for its future Defender, but the second Defender concept that pulled out onto the show stand was a surprise.

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2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: Land Rover Defender DC100 Concept

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What happens when a Bronco II, an FJ Cruiser and a Range Rover Evoque get too friendly? This happens. This is the Land Rover DC100 concept that could be the replacement for the Land Rover Defender in 2015. Could being the key word there...

"This concept is designed to stimulate debate. We are committed to a Defender replacement, but this concept will help us to understand what direction it must take." said a Land Rover spokesperson.

We have to wait until the Frankfurt Auto show to hear more about the DC100. Until then, we'll simply have to indulge them and discuss whether or not this is the direction the Defender should take. Do we really need another luxury soft-roader on 20s?

 

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First Drive Video: 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

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During our first drive of the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque our man across the pond, Alistair Weaver, said it's "A stylish, well-executed, compact SUV that's too small to do anything but look good."

He also said a number of other interesting things. But if you're in the tl;dr crowd you missed out, so here's our video review. Watch Alistair drive the stylish new Evoque around a side of the world you rarely see here on Inside Line. (And as you watch, keep in mind that AW is in the 6'4" - 6'5" ish neighborhood...when he says there's headroom, there's headroom.)

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Spy Photos: 2013 Land Rover Range Rover

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 Land Rover is hard at work on the 2013 Land Rover Range Rover and the proof is in this aerodynamically challenged prototype just spotted testing. The new truck looks remarkably similar to the one it replaces, although we look to have thicker C and D pillars while still maintaining the near-pillarless look of Range Rovers. The windshield is also more swept back for a sportier, more wind-friendly design.

Rumors on the new, fully-redesigned Range Rover have been flying fast and furious for months now but two persist. The first is that the 2013 Land Rover Range Rover will use aluminum for the chassis and the bodywork (Thanks, Jaguar!) shedding something like 20% of the current truck's weight. There are emissions and fuel economy standards to worry about after all. The second, and more fun rumor, is that the new RR will be powered by a hybrid powertrain. And not just any powertrain, but a Volt-like plug-in, extended range hybrid system.

If you consider how many of these you see in urban/suburban Los Angeles that rarely travel more than 20 miles in a trip, a PHEV seems just the thing. And really, shouldn't we be focusing on the big things for big gains instead of small cars for small gains?

 

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