Luxury Hybrid Vehicles Will Become “Dominant”

Fuel economy regulations are forcing every automaker to embrace hybrid drivetrains, including luxury marques like Jaguar and Land Rover. One of the top engineers over at the Indian-owned British automakers even went so far as to say that hybrids will be “dominant” among top-tier vehicles in the coming years.

Jaguar Land Rover Engineering chief Wolfgang Ziebart was quoted by Autocar saying that “…hybrid will become the dominant drivetrain among ‘upper class’ models.” Hybrid technology is among the fastest growing segments, as are autonomous vehicles and broader, fuel-saving developments aside from hybrids. All of these segments will drive luxury automakers like Jaguar and Land Rover, which are owned by India’s Tata Motors, and Ziebart expects self-driving hybrids to be a big part of many luxury car fleets.

While Jaguar has toyed with a turbine-hybrid supercar concept and the more production-worthy C-X16 , its production fleet remains reliant on combustion engines (even though they might one dayditch V8s entirely). Land Rover has been a bit more daring, debuting a plug-in diesel hybrid that promises Prius-like fuel economy with Rover reliability. Ziebart is also watching the Tesla Model X closely, and acknowledges an all-electric vehicle might not be a bad idea…outside of Europe. In other words expect more hybrid Jags and Rovers,, because that’s the direction the rest of the luxury market is heading.

From there, the technology is likely to trickle down into “lower class” brands and models, until one day every car we drive is either an EV or hybrid. You know, if the planet doesn’t explode first.

Source: Autocar

Luxury Hybrid Vehicles Will Become “Dominant”

Fuel economy regulations are forcing every automaker to embrace hybrid drivetrains, including luxury marques like Jaguar and Land Rover. One of the top engineers over at the Indian-owned British automakers even went so far as to say that hybrids will be “dominant” among top-tier vehicles in the coming years.

Jaguar Land Rover Engineering chief Wolfgang Ziebart was quoted by Autocar saying that “…hybrid will become the dominant drivetrain among ‘upper class’ models.” Hybrid technology is among the fastest growing segments, as are autonomous vehicles and broader, fuel-saving developments aside from hybrids. All of these segments will drive luxury automakers like Jaguar and Land Rover, which are owned by India’s Tata Motors, and Ziebart expects self-driving hybrids to be a big part of many luxury car fleets.

While Jaguar has toyed with a turbine-hybrid supercar concept and the more production-worthy C-X16 , its production fleet remains reliant on combustion engines (even though they might one day ditch V8s entirely). Land Rover has been a bit more daring, debuting a plug-in diesel hybrid that promises Prius-like fuel economy withRover reliability. Ziebart is also watching the Tesla Model X closely, and acknowledges an all-electric vehicle might not be a bad idea…outside of Europe. In other words expect more hybrid Jags and Rovers,, because that’s the direction the rest of the luxury market is heading.

From there, the technology is likely to trickle down into “lower class” brands and models, until one day every car we drive is either an EV or hybrid. You know, if the planet doesn’t explode first.

Source: Autocar

Tata ConnectNext EV Concept Looks To The Future

Tata Motors may not be known for its cutting edge concepts, but the Tata ConnectNext EV Concept is a hybrid minivan straight out of Blade Runner. While there are no plans for production, it’s the first Tata concept that makes me think Indian cars might make it to America.

At about four-meters long and sporting suicide doors, a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, and flexible seating, this is the kind of concept car I’d expect at any of America’s major auto shows. But instead it debuted at the Delhi Auto Show in India, where Tata is a major player. The concept features passenger entertainment systems and a minimalistic driver interface, again pulled straight out of a sci-fi movie.

I dig the Tata ConnectNext EV Concept, though don’t expect it to see production anytime soon. Instead, it’s a design study meant to showcase where Tata might, one day, go with its vehicles. If Tata can keep this up, maybe we can forget about all of those roasty, toasty Nanos, a car which was once rumored to be bound for American shores.

Whatever happened to that?

Source: Carscoops