2010 Range Rover to Hit U.S. Roads from $79,275

Land Rover has released U.S. pricing for its updated 2010 Range Rover that made its world debut alongside the facelifted Range Rover Sport and Discovery 4 (LR4) at the New York motorshow in April. The base Range Rover HSE that is equipped with a new 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 producing 375HP starts from $79,275 while the 510HP Supercharged model will set you back by a hefty $95,125. Both prices include a $850 destination and delivery charge but not tax, title and registration fees. For detailed information and a high-res gallery of the 2010MY Range Rover, click here.

Land Rover Releases UK Pricing for 2010 Range Rover Sport and Discovery 4

The revised 2010 Range Rover Sport and 2010 Discovery 4 will go on sale in the UK from the beginning of September priced from £44,895 and £31,995 respectively. The entry-level version of the Range Rover Sport is moved by a 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel while the base Discovery 4 by a 2.-7-liter V6 turbo diesel. Both models features new engines, subtle cosmetic enhancements on the outside and redesigned interiors. Hit the jump for the detailed price list.

Land Rover Releases Stylish 2011 Defender X-Tech Limited Edition

Land Rover has launched a new special edition version of its iconic 4x4 model, the 2011 Defender X-Tech Limited Edition. To be revealed for the first time at the this week's Brussels Motorshow, the Defender X-Tech sprinkles some tasty cosmetic enhancements on the standard model.

Available in both three-door [90] and five-door [110] hardtop variants, the X-Tech models are offered in a silver or bronze exterior finish with a Santorini Black roof and unique gloss black 16 inch Saw Tooth alloy wheels.

The X-Tech Land Rover's interior is upgraded with new trim and is available in Ebony, while the seats offer the addition of leather side bolsters. In addition, the center console is finished in the same color as the exterior while the package also includes a set of matching floor mats.

Power comes from a 2.4-liter turbo diesel engine delivering 122-horsepower and 360Nm of torque with 90 percent of peak power on tap from less than 2,200rpm to over 4,350rpm.

Land Rover said the Defender X-Tech Limited Edition will go on sale from March 2011, with prices in the UK starting at £24,995.

Who Let the Dogs Out? NEC's Range Rover Convertible

We've seen many topless conversions that leave much to be desired in terms of styling, but this creation may very well take one of the top spots in our list. The awkward looking (with the roof up or down) Range Rover Convertible was built by Newport Convertible Engineering (NEC) of Placentia, California. The folks over at NEC retained the Range Rover's door frames while they also added a central roll bar. To solve the problem with the rear hatch, NEC engineered a unique split tailgate. More photos after the jump.

Photos: NEC

Land Rover Releases 'Built Tough' S1 Mobile Phone

For those Land Rover owners that actually make use of their vehicle's off road capabilities (or for the ones that want to show off that they do), the British marque has teamed up with Sonim Technologies, to launch the Land Rover-badged S1 cell phone. According to automaker, the S1 is the world's first IP-67 rated GSM mobile phone which from what we learned, is a standard indicating that the phone has been tested and found to be totally resistant to dust, as well as dirt, shocks and drops.

Featuring a rather simple design, the S1 is said to be completely waterproof to a depth of one meter (3.3 feet) for up to 30 minutes and resistant to pressure of up to 400 kgs. Durability aside, the S1 comes equipped with a 2Mega-Pixel waterproof camera with built-in flash, , torch light, built-in GPS system, FM radio, 2GB memory slot, J2ME Java for mobile, WAP browsing through its in-built Opera Mini WAP browser and Bluetooth.

"Like our vehicles this phone is extremely capable and will work in the toughest of environments," said Lindsay Weaver, Land Rover global licensing manager. "Designed to meet the needs and demands of the outdoor adventurer the phone has an IP-67 rating, which is a first for a commercially available GSM handset, and is operational in temperatures ranging from -20 to 55 degrees Celsius and backed by an unconditional three-year guarantee."

The Land Rover S1 by Sonim will be available for UK buyers from Go Mobile stores with pricing set at £299.99 or at today's exchange rates, $490 US or €355.

Land Rover S1 Specification

• Fully submersible to a depth of one metre
  
• Survives being dropped onto hard surfaces from up to two metres
  
• Extra-Loud speakers for use in extremely noisy environments
  
• Extra-long battery life with over 1500 hours of standby time and 18 hours of talk time
  
• Durable keyboard mechanics and extra-wide buttons for ease of use
  
• Keypad buttons tested to over 500,000 pushes
  
• Completely dust and micro-particle resistant – IP-67 Rated
  
• Resistant to road shocks and vibrations to over 2000 random vibrations in the 500Hz range
  
• Operational under temperatures from -20° to 55° C
  
• Resistant to extreme pressure up to 400kg
  
• Resistant to punctures at 75kg/cm2 of pressure.
  
• Three year unconditional guarantee

Project Kahn Teases Ranger Rover Evoque Cosworth

Land Rover's newcomer won't be arriving in dealerships before the second half of 2011, yet the tuning industry is already rubbing its hands and making plans for the development of numerous sport packages for the Range Rover-badged Evoque. Project Kahn, known for its tinkered Land Rover proposals, has released this single teaser image of the Evoque 5d along with the information that the compact SUV will be powered by a Cosworth-prepped engine.

Apart from that, the British tuner didn't reveal anything else about the model, though it's probably safe to assume that Cosworth will work on the 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine, which delivers 240-horsepower in stock form.

Jaguar Reportedly Looking into the SUV Segment

According to UK magazine Autocar, Jaguar is considering the development of a crossover / SUV model, presumably to boost sales in Europe and the North America. While creating internal competition for Land Rover models, such as the Evoque, doesn’t sound like a good idea, the project has the backing of Jaguar boss Adrian Hallmark.

“We need a crossover and we need to stop being a saloon-based company”, he told Autocar. This gives the news some credibility, otherwise we might have been tempted to dismiss it as an empty rumor.

But what could determine Jaguar to make such a move? The first thing that comes to mind is economy of scale. Creating an entry-level crossover – if that’s what Jaguar aims for – wouldn’t cost the British automaker an arm and a leg. The Evoque can provide the base, at minimal expense.

With this out of the way, the problem of positioning the new model remains. The alleged Jaguar crossover would cost more and we're not sure if customers will be willing to fork out the extra cash. On the other hand, pricing it as a comparable Land Rover model would create unwanted internal competition.

However, there are success stories of once niche-manufactures embracing the crossover/SUV hype, most notably Porsche with the Cayenne. When it hit the market, much to the dismay of Porsche purists, no one predicted just how important the SUV would become for the German maker.

Today, the bulk of Porsche sales are made up by the Cayenne and, who knows, that could also be the case with Jaguar.

Project Kahn Unwraps Range Rover RS500 with 500HP Cosworth-Tuned V8 Diesel

UK-based tuning firm Project Kahn has unleashed its latest creation based on the diesel-powered Land Rover Range Rover. The comprehensive tune covers both the interior and exterior styling as well as the 4.4-liter V8 diesel, courtesy of renowned engine tuner Cosworth.

On the outside, the Range Rover RS500 gets redesigned bumpers, the rear featuring a diffuser, lowered side skirts and a quad tail pipe exhaust system developed by Cosworth. Certain components are painted in silver and form a nic contrast with the black paintjob and tinted windows. The RS500 rides on 22-inch RSX alloys with a multi-spoke design.

Inside, bespoke black quilted leather with silver stitching wraps the seats, glove box and dashboard. There's also aluminum decor on the doorsills, center console, gear lever, air vents and steering wheel. Manufactured in Italy with original Land Rover parts, the new steering wheel has a motorsport-inspired contour and promises to offer a better grip.

The final piece of the RS500 puzzle is the Cosworth performance upgrade, which squeezes 500 horsepower out the 4.4-liter V8 diesel engine, up from the standard version's 313 hp and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque.