Green Car Roundup: 2011 Geneva Motor Show - Concept Cars Page 2

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Land Rover Range_e diesel plug-in hybrid

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Land Rover range_e Diesel Plug-In Hybrid Concept

Previewed by Land Rover a couple of weeks ago, this is the latest technology concept from England's enduring all-wheel-drive brand, now part of the Indian-owned Jaguar Land Rover group.

The range_e (yep, that's an underscore) pairs a high-efficiency turbocharged 3.0-liter clean-diesel V-6 engine to a parallel hybrid system uses a 69-kW (93-hp) electric motor between the engine and an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission.

The most recent iteration of the concept now adds a plug-in battery pack that can be recharged from wall current. As in previous versions, the experimental drivetrain is housed in an adapted Range Rover Sport body.

Land Rover quotes an all-electric range of up to 20 miles for the plug-in version, and a top speed of 120 miles per hour--though clearly not at the same time. The diesel fuel tank expands the range to a respectable 690 miles.

For the large, heavy, luxury sports utility vehicles built by Range Rover and Land Rover, a hybrid powertrain can produce substantial increases in fuel efficiency.

The larger battery pack of a plug-in hybrid adds a lot of cost, but will allow those vehicles to enter the zero-emissions central-core zones that many European cities are planning to institute.

2011 Mazda Minagi Concept

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2011 Mazda Minagi Concept

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2011 Mazda Minagi Concept

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2011 Mazda Minagi Concept

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Mazda Minagi Concept

Mazda and Ford have gone their separate ways, and the aging Ford Escape will be replaced by a new vehicle based on the Vertrek concept shown at January's Detroit Auto Show.

That means the low-volume Tribute and Tribute Hybrid models built for Mazda by Ford will vanish, leaving Mazda without a compact crossover. Hence the unveiling of the Minagi Concept at Geneva.

Fitted with Mazda's high efficiency SkyActiv engine and transmission, the Minagi is likely to be seen as a production vehicle without too many changes.

In the U.S. market, a vehicle derived from the Minagi concept would fit neatly under the CX-7 midsize crossover. 2012 or 2013 Mazda CX-5, anyone?

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For High Gear Media's complete coverage of the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, click here.

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