Gilles Tooling Gear Shaft Holder Shiho-rj05 on 2040-parts.com

Land Rover OKs LRX-based small SUV for Range Rover

Land Rover will put its striking LRX concept car, first displayed at the 2008 Detroit auto show, into production with the help of a $37.1 million grant from the British government. But in a move suggesting it will be pitched further upmarket than originally intended--against four-wheel-drive rivals such as the Audi Q5, the BMW X5 and the Mercedes-Benz GLK--the LRX will reach showrooms wearing Range Rover badges. "Internal studies have shown that if we deliver the LRX to market, it would be best suited to the Range Rover brand," Land Rover boss Phil Popham said.

Saab targets German luxury foes with a new 9-5

The redesigned 2010 Saab 9-5 Aero sedan is big, filled with technology, and designed and engineered to compete with the Audi A6 and the Mercedes-Benz E-class sedans. “The new Saab demonstrates that we are alive and kicking,” said Victor Muller, CEO of Spyker Cars NV, the Dutch sports-car maker that purchased Saab from General Motors Co. in February.

Electric BMW 1 Series Concept ActiveE Revealed

The BMW 1 Series ActiveE Concept BMW are ramping up their foray in to electric cars with the reveal of the BMW 1 Series Concept ActiveE which will show at the Detroit Motor Show in January, and takes the company a step further along the electric car line than the MINI E. The starting point for public trials of BMW’s i-Project (for ‘Public Trials’ read ‘We’ll get the punters to suss the problems’) was the front wheel drive MINI E which is out playing on the roads in a limited lease programme in the UK, Germany and the US. The programme has not been without problems including charging issues and poor range, but BMW are quite upfront about this being about seeing how the electric cars work in the real world.