SUVs auto news

Report: Cadillac Escalade to get new lease on life in 2014

Known for unmitigated excess to some, the Cadillac Escalade embodies over-the-top transportation for oil barons and high-rolling hip-hop stars. The Detroit Bureau quotes an unknown senior Cadillac official saying, "We were finding that for everyone turned on by that image there were four (potential luxury buyers) who were [turned off]." Add in national gas prices flirting with $5 a gallon, and the Escalade seemed destined to join the flamboyant fins of the 1959 Eldorado.

But The Detroit Bureau says GM saw too much profit in the tanker-sized truck and plans to refresh it in early 2014 as a 2015 model. The Bureau predicts the SUV will continue to be body-on-frame with the new 2013 Chevrolet pickup underpinnings holding it all together. It's probably safe to assume the luxury will be upsized, the engine uptuned and the price upjacked.

Spy Shots: Next Kia Sorento caught on the 'Ring

Last year, the Kia Sorento took the honor of being the best-selling vehicle in the Korean automaker's stable. That pace has slowed somewhat in 2012, as both the Soul and the Optima push past the CUV for sales dominance, but the company's engineers are already hard at work on the next Sorento facelift.

Our spy photographers spotted the heavily camouflaged version of the tweaked crossover prancing around the Nürburgring. This is the second time we've seen the machine out in open air. As you may recall, the Sorento was last spotted romping around in the snow along with a few friends, including an Audi Q5 and a Mercedes-Benz GLK.

With those kinds of benchmarks, there's a good possibility the next-generation Sorento will offer significant improvements in ride and interior refinement. Word has it the next revision will also bring along a fresh fascia, complete with LED headlights, as well as a freshened rear valance with LED treatments of its own.

Report: Chinese-market Land Rover Freelander and Range Rover Evoque to use Chery engines?

A couple of developments on the recent Jaguar/Land Rover joint venture are being reported in Chinese media based on a report in China's Economic Daily News. The 130,000-capacity factory planned for Jiangsu is epected to mint its first vehicle in 2014, with numbers given for the breakdown so far as: 43,000 Land Rover Freelander 2s, 34,000 Range Rover Evoque models (called the Aurora in China) and, according to Google Translate, "the joint venture brand vehicles of 23,000 Jaguar sedan."

We're not sure if that really means 23,000 Jags will be made, since that would be a six-fold multiplier of Jaguar's 2011 sales in China. The quoted Land Rover production would only be doubling its sales tally from 2011, even though the brand's sales were up 105 percent in Q1 of this year. There will be a separate joint-venture brand created between JLR and Chery as well, so that could be a part of it. Futher on, the plan is for the plant to expand to a capacity of 250,000 units.

More interestingly, the locally-made engines will be JLR's 3.0-liter V6 alongside two Chery motors, a 1.6-liter TGDI turbo and a 2.0-liter TGDI, with plans to "gradually introduce" the Chery engines into the Land Rovers. JLR engineers are said to be moving to China to continue joint development of the TGDI motors, which has apparently been ongoing. Until those are ready, JLR will import its 240-horsepower, 2.0-liter motor.

The report in China's 163.com is also interesting for the regulatory and business context it provides on the joint venture, with government rules mandating the minimum amount of investment and the establishment of R&D centers. The tie-up is said to be a boon to Chery's fortunes in light of the assertion that Chery's "operating conditions are not ideal" and that getting the "core technology" for its own brands had "become the top priority of the project approval." Official approval of the JV is expected later this year.

Spy Shots: Next Land Rover Range Rover reveals more of its lighter body

This isn't the first (or second, or third) time we've caught the next-generation Big Daddy Range Rover out testing, but this latest set of spy photos gives us our best look yet at some of the SUV's new exterior details. (Sidenote: We have to commend Jaguar Land Rover for having some of the coolest camouflage patterns in the world.)

As you might expect, the Range Rover's shape hasn't changed too much from the current generation, though we can clearly see a sleeker front fascia with headlamps that seem to incorporate new LED running lights, as well as a slightly sleeker roofline. But the big news for this next-generation vehicle is the huge reduction in weight that's supposedly on tap - reports have estimated that as much as 800 pounds have been shed from the SUV's body. This weight savings is largely due to an all-new aluminum platform, as well as widespread use of lightweight materials throughout the body.

Mum's the word on what's going to be found underhood, but we'd expect the usual range of eight-cylinder engines to be offered here in the United States. Murmurs of a hybrid powertrain have also been spinning 'round the rumormill, so don't rule out the possibility of some electric boost being on tap, as well. Click through the above gallery to see the full slate of spy shots for yourself.

Official: Armortech and Atelier Valdeig outfit Audi Q7 to Bentley standards

Can't wait for Bentley to start producing the EXP 9 F? Sold on the idea but not on the execution? Armortech may be able to help you out.

They've teamed up with Atelier Valdeig to turn the Audi Q7 into something of a Bentley SUV, only without the Bentley badge. Called the Tresor (from the French word for "treasure"), the custom Q7 igets fully restyled, and boasts an interior that has been (or will be, from the look of the cabin renderings) retrofitted to Bentley-like levels of opulence.

The customizers can base their modifications on any version of the Q7, all the way up to the 493-horsepower V12 turbodiesel, and can even stretch the wheelbase or armor it - a particularly sought-after feature in markets where security is a luxury. The full press release is posted below, and you can check out the renderings in the photo gallery for a closer look.

Continue reading Armortech and Atelier Valdeig outfit Audi Q7 to Bentley standards

Official: Armortech and Atelier Valdeig outfit the Audi Q7 to Bentley standards

Can't wait for Bentley to start producing the EXP 9 F? Sold on the idea but not on the execution? Armortech may be able to help you out.

They've teamed up with Atelier Valdeig to turn the Audi Q7 into something of a Bentley SUV, only without the Bentley badge. Called the Tresor (from the French word for "treasure"), the custom Q7 igets fully restyled, and boasts an interior that has been (or will be, from the look of the cabin renderings) retrofitted to Bentley-like levels of opulence.

The customizers can base their modifications on any version of the Q7, all the way up to the 493-horsepower V12 turbodiesel, and can even stretch the wheelbase or armor it - a particularly sought-after feature in markets where security is a luxury. The full press release is posted below, and you can check out the renderings in the photo gallery for a closer look.

Continue reading Armortech and Atelier Valdeig outfit the Audi Q7 to Bentley standards

Lego Land Rover Defender 110 is plasticized perfection [w/video]

It's official. You really can build anything from Lego blocks. Behold a fully-functional 1:8.5 scale version of a Land Rover Defender 110. This radio-controlled machine features a five-speed transmission with reverse, a two-speed transfer case that offers both four-wheel and two-wheel drive modes and functional disc brakes on all four corners. It's cool. We'll wait while you pick your jaw up off the floor. The machine was also built with fully functional steering that uses the same number of turns-to-lock as the real deal. All told, there are nearly 2,800 parts in the build, including seven motors.

There's a full solid-axle suspension underneath with long-travel springs. Top speed is around 2.5 mph. What's more, the whole body can be removed with just four pins to see the workings underneath.

If that's not cool enough, the machine has been picked up over at Lego CUUSOO. If it gets 10,000 votes, Lego will produce a kit based off of this creation. That's right - this masterwork isn't a kit - an independent Lego maniac by the name of Sheepo came up with it. Head over to the site for more information, and be sure to scroll down to check out a video of the machine.

Continue reading Lego Land Rover Defender 110 is plasticized perfection [w/video]

Report: Bentley plotting Dakar effort with used VW Touareg racers?

Bentley is an automaker not without its own racing pedigree, but the bulk of that is anchored in the 1920s and at Le Mans, to which it returned in winning form in the earlier part of the new millennium with the Speed 8. The latest development could, however, see the Flying B marque enter into another class of motorsport competition altogether.

That opposite end of the endurance racing spectrum is the torturous Dakar rally. We first published rumors of Crewe's consideration of the possibility back in November, but according to CAR Magazine, those rumors are apparently kicking into high gear.

That much is owed largely to the emergence of the above-pictured EXP 9 F program, Bentley's concept SUV currently under development. Well, sorta. Bentley's parent company Volkswagen recently withdrew from the Dakar rally after winning it three times in a row - ostensibly to focus on its new World Rally Championship effort, but spurring rumors all the same of it transferring the team to another brand.

Given that the EXP 9 F is based (or would be, anyway) on an architecture related to the Touareg - the race model of which is what the VW team used to dominate the event - the facilitation of Bentley's take-over of the program could prove even more straight-forward than the manner in which Audi successfully supported Bentley's Le Mans team.

To wit, the boys from Crewe are said to be in the process of buying back all the Race Touareg rigs - complete with their 2.5-liter twin-turbo diesels producing 300 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque - that Volkswagen sold to privateer teams upon its departure, suggesting rather poor planning and perhaps only a passing resemblance to the eventual production EXP 9 F (which, incidentally, isn't expected to look like the concept above).

Report: Volvo XC90 to become Geely

Volvo recently unveiled yet another model year of the impossibly old XC90 - promised to be the final one before a complete redesign. But the overripe vintage of the first SUV to fall from Volvo's vine isn't stopping corporate parent Geely from absconding with the platform to launch a new high-end brand for China.

According to China Car Times, Volvo's new XC90 will be launching in 2014, and after that the original will soldier on in China, at least in some form. The report does not make clear whether the first-generation XC90 will merely be re-badged, or if the platform will be used for a new Geely design.

Geely launched its first SUV, the GX7, at this year's Beijing Auto Show, according to the report.

Report: Lamborghini eyes low weight, Audi-sourced twin-turbo V8 for production Urus

Long before Lamborghini unveiled the Urus concept for its new SUV at the Beijing Motor Show last month, we got two chances to preview the show truck: once at the factory in Italy and once at a private preview in New York. The Italian automaker's development chief Maurizio Reggiani wasn't prepared to talk about powertrain options at the time, but in speaking with Automotive News, he's now given us a hint of what to expect should the Volkswagen Group board give the project the green light.

As expected, the Urus would have to be based on the same platform that is slated to underpin the next Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and Bentley EXP 9 F (if similarly approved) in order to make good business sense. Unfortunately, that new PL73 architecture is made principally of steel, a material that Lamborghini has been getting away from in favor of new types of carbon fiber construction. In order to keep weight down - Lambo is targeting 4,400 lbs for the Urus, significantly less than its potential competitors - it would need to make other components out of carbon to compensate.

That covers the mass side of the power-to-weight ratio that is integral to any performance vehicle. As for the power, Reggiani says the company has yet to make a final decision. The last time Lamborghini made an SUV - the legendary LM002 "Rambo Lambo" - it was powered by the same high-revving V12 as the Countach, lending to speculation that the Urus could incorporate the new V12 from the Aventador or the V10 from the Gallardo. Reggiani, however, indicates that the new twin-turbo V8 powering the latest Audi RS models and the Bentley Continental is a more likely choice, given that it would help keep weight down and provide more low-end torque than the naturally-aspired 10 or 12-pots the Raging Bull marque currently produces for its sports cars.