To get the attention of petrol-heads off their gas guzzlers, electric car manufacturers have to make their cars as jazzy as their cousins running on fossil fuels.

Tesla recently unveiled its Model X, an all-electric cross between a SUV and a minivan, that could indeed make some hard-core petrol motorists rethink their loyalties.

The car is big for an electric car, capable of seating seven passengers quite comfortably in three rows and yes, all in front facing positions. More X-factors are included in Tesla’s new creation, the most eye-catching one being the ‘falcon wing’ rear doors which gives it that sexy appeal usually reserved for sports cars.

Let’s take a peek under the hood of this clean car and see whether it can provide the juice that will do justice to its good looks.

The car will be available in rear as well as four-wheel-drive versions, with two electric motors in the latter model reportedly having the grunt to push the car from 0 – 60 mph (96.5 km/h) in just 4.4 seconds.

Model X is based on the same platform as Tesla’s Model S with some added bulk. The increased weight will affect its range though (expected to be around 10 percent less than Model S). But still it will provide a range of 160 miles with the standard battery pack and it can be extended to 230 or 300 miles depending on the battery pack upgrades used.

The Model X is set for production in 2013 or 2014 for a 2015 release. The price for this beauty will be somewhat the same as Model S, which starts at US $49,900.

[ source ]

The post Many X-Factors In Tesla’s New Electric Car ‘Model X’ appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Land Rover LRX Diesel Hybrid coming in 2011

Land Rover has geared up to release their new LRX compact crossover, but doing more than taking the standard four-wheel-drive route; by giving their best effort at being a little more environmentally-friendly.  The Land Rover LRX will launch in hybrid and front-wheel drive variants too for better fuel efficiency in urban scenarios.

Unlike most other vehicles in the Land Rover lineup, the LRX is not meant to boast off-road superiority. You could almost say that it’s more of an urban crossover, so to speak, with fuel savings to match. This could dilute the brand, but it could expand it to other customers too.  Since so many Land Rovers are driven in cities by suits, and hardly see anything but a car wash; the new models make sense to turn the companies inefficient past.  The front-wheel-drive version of the LRX (the name might still change) was previously announced, but it was only now that they confirmed the existence of the new diesel hybrid. This is a company first, utilizing the existing 3.0L turbo-diesel V6 along with an electric motor.   This combination, along with the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, is supposed to be good for a 20-mile range on electricity alone. If you still want the grunt and guzzle of a conventional four-wheel-drive Rover, they’ll be selling the LRX in that form too.

The post Land Rover to release diesel hybrid and front-wheel-drive LRX variants appeared first on Mobile Magazine.