The Range Rover Hybrid (pictured) in Russia on the Silk Trail expedition
The new Range Rover Hybrid (and the Range Rover Sport Hybrid) will be arriving in Land Rover Showrooms in the New Year after their debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week. Currently, ahead of the final production hybrids being signed-off, Land Rover are, as we’ve already reported, busy driving the Silk Trail to Mumbai to put the Range Rover Hybrids through their paces and iron out any problems that crop up. The first stage of the Silk Trail 2013 trek was mainly across Europe where, although urban landscapes tested the hybrid’s economy and flexibility, there wasn’t too much in the way of challenging terrain to make sure the hybrid Range Rover was up to muster.
The Porsche 918 Spyder – Porsche’s hybrid replacement for the Carrera GT – has been caught on video at the Nurburgring. Incredibly, it’s more that two years since Porsche took the wraps of the 918 Spyder at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, yet we’re still more than a year away from actually seeing production cars. But Porsche are putting their time to good use. Porsche has made a few cosmetic tweaks already from the original 918 Concept, but they’ve also let it be known that the 918 Spyder will get a 550bhp 4.6 litre V8 to go with its electric motors on the front wheels (one less motor than originally envisaged – there was going to be one one the back axle too), which will make the 918 Spyder a FWD Porsche when in EV mode.
By Tim Pollard
Motor Industry
06 August 2008 11:20
Aston Martin and Mercedes are plotting a wide-ranging tie-up that could see the two famous brands collaborate on engines, hybrids, transmission and even entire platforms, CAR can reveal. The top-secret partnership between Aston and Merc – dubbed Project Alligator by the Germans – is detailed in our exclusive story in the new September 2008 issue of CAR Magazine. The scoop includes the lowdown on: • How Mercedes engines could power future Aston Martins • AMG's 6.2-litre V8 tipped for Vantage models• Diesels and hybrids from Germany planned for Aston• Whole platforms to be shared by top-end models• Eight-speed Merc auto bound for British sports cars• Why Maybach and Aston could co-operate on future modelsWe speak to the engineers and insiders who are working on Project Alligator and spill the beans on the secret project that will reshape future generations of Aston Martins.