Land Rover Defender Concepts in Firenze Red turn up at Delhi Auto Expo

Land Rover Defender Concept DC100 and DC100 Sport in Firenze Red color

We first saw Land Rover Defender Concept DC100 and DC100 Sport first at September’s 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, and then again at L.A. in November.

Now Land Rover’s Defender Concept 100 and Defender Concept 100 Sport have made their debut at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo taking place this week in the Indian capital.

The latest unveiling comes with the usual rhetoric of these concepts being simply an investigation of the potential design direction for a replacement for the iconic Defender. However, this time around we get to see them in a vibrant new color dubbed Firenze Red.

Core Land Rover attributes of capability and versatility are underpinned in both concepts by several advanced off-road technological aids designed to reduce the workload on the driver. Foremost is the next generation of Land Rover's Terrain Response system, which optimizes the car for any conditions without driver pre-selection.

In addition, a new Terrain-i system creates an intelligent map of the topography in front of the car and displays it as a 3D visualisation. Terrain-i automatically identifies potential hazards and suggests alternative routes. In urban environments the same system is able to identify pedestrians and hazards with great accuracy.

Finally, there’s a new Wade Aid system that utilizes sonar sensors mounted in the bumpers and wing mirrors to measure water depth. As with Terrain Response, Wade Aid will optimize the car for water crossings by closing body vents, raising the ride height, selecting a low gear and advising on the safest speed.

Sustainability has also played an important part in the concept cars' overall design. For example, they are fitted with an intelligent Twin-Solenoid Stop-Start system mated to the latest eight-speed automatic gearbox, both of which have been designed with future hybridization in mind.

There is also a unique Driveline Disconnect system, which sends power to the front-axle only unless conditions demand all-wheel drive. Unlike conventional systems, this physically, rather than electronically, decouples the rear-axle to reduce frictional losses, but it can also reengage drive almost instantaneously. The proposed powerplant is a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, either gasoline or diesel.

Land Rover expects to launch its new generation of the iconic Defender sometime in the middle of the decade.



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Source: Motor Authority

Land Rover Unveils Cutting Edge Off-Road Technology For Defender

Concept showcases Terrain Response, Wade Aid, Driveline Disconnect and torque vectoring.

Land Rover was kind enough to invite "Exhaust Notes" to the beach in Malibu, Calif., before the Los Angeles Auto Show to drive the new Defender concept. The beautiful day saw us hop into the concept and tool around the beach -- slowly and carefully, because it's still basically a bolted-together show vehicle -- until the lifeguards kicked us off. The concept was in North America to introduce a new-look Defender to the States and showcase some exciting technologies in the pipeline. The redesigned global model will arrive around 2015.

After the concept test drive we checked out the various Terrain Response systems in the Range Rover Evoque, which you choose based on road conditions -- highway, sand or snow. Going forward, Land Rover plans to have the car know the terrain ahead and adjust suspension, throttle response and power distribution through a variety of sensors. Using high-definition video cameras mounted on the side-view mirrors, front-mounted sensors to detect road variations and a probability matrix that takes into account wheel, suspension and body information, the goal is to have future vehicles auto-select the appropriate Terrain Response setting. Land Rover is already known for conquering seemingly impossible off-road conditions, but the idea going forward is seamless driving performance from the highway to off-road in any conditions -- including wading on beaches or in rivers.

Speaking of wading: The new Wade Aid technology uses sonar sensors to help guide drivers even when they can’t see the road ahead -- say, traversing a muddy river while on safari. The system reads the bounced-back sonar signals to determine water depth ahead of the vehicle, then advises the driver on the safest speed, closes vehicle vents if necessary and raises the ride height. The next wave of research is focused on turning the bow wave to an advantage: By adjusting speed accordingly, the system could help the driver keep the wave’s trough as low as possible, keeping the air intake above water when normally it would be submerged. You potentially could traverse water that technically would be too deep, as long as you followed the wave's crest at the ideal speed.

How about bringing some James Bond technology to reality? "Die Another Day" fans will remember when Bond is driving his Aston Martin through the ice palace and the car becomes invisible, then drives up the wall. No, we're not talking the invisibility shield, but rather the actuating spike tires. Land Rover’s patented On-Demand Spiked Tyres aren’t that far away; the company even has a working prototype. Small chambers between the treads have studs that extend when the chamber is pressurized via electronic sensor. Voila: instant studded tires for climbing sheets of ice (OK, the horizontal kind). They are just as easily be retracted via the same electronic sensor.

If that’s not enough, Land Rover also has torque vectoring and Driveline Disconnect to keep the Defender on all fours. With torque vectoring, power will be distributed to outside wheels during the beginning of a turn, switching to the inside wheels during the turn exit for more control and stability during turning, off-road and on. With Driveline Disconnect, the Defender will be able to switch from 2-wheel drive to four. Nothing new, you say? This isn’t some electronic bypass but a mechanical disconnection of the rear axle from the center differential, which Land Rover says will result in a 7 percent fuel savings during highway driving. And when the highway is getting a little too boring and you want to take the shortcut that only you know about, the 4-wheel drive can recouple just as fast as those using an electronic system.

The iconically spartan Defender is headed back to the U.S., but this time it will pack some high-tech goodies -- and we say that's a welcome addition.

Source: Exhaust Notes MSN

Land Rover DC100 Defender concept revised with greater off-road focus

Land Rover is preparing a revised version of the Land Rover DC100 concept for the 2011 Los Angles Auto Show later this week. The concept will feature more conventional equipment better suited for off-road driving.

Land Rover DC100 Concept

The new Land Rover DC100 concept will showcase an off-road-friendly combination of 20-inch alloy wheels and Cooper all-terrain tyres. These give the DC100 an almost production-ready look, compared with the huge wheels on the original design. It also now features a snorkel system and a roof rack.

Although the Land Rover DC100 won’t be headed for production any time soon, elements of the design will be taken on board for the all-new Land Rover Defender that is planned for 2015. Land Rover wanted to change the personality of the original DC100 concept as many criticised it for being too ‘lifestyle-focused’ rather than a capable, technical showcase. Land Rover boss John Edwards recently spoke with Autocar about the changes, saying,

"Sometimes we talk too much about Californian surfer dudes and not enough about the Red Cross, Zambia or the Australian Outback. If we happen to be able to sell it in California as well that’s nice, but that’s not the most important bit for us." 

The DC100 incorporates a number of interesting technologies Land Rover could introduce onto the market in the very near future.

There’s a Terrain-i system which provides an in-car map of the topography in front, including approach and departure angles, as well as a new Wade Aid system that uses sensors to calculate the depths of water crossings. The Wade Aid system is able to set up the vehicle for deep crossings by closing certain vents and raising the suspension.

Land Rover will show the open-top DC100 Sport concept at the LA Show as well, and will use the concepts as a means of testing the reaction of US buyers in regards to a possible reintroduction of the Land Rover Defender to that market in 2015.







Source: Car Advice

Revised Land Rover DC100 coming at Los Angeles Motor Show

It’s reported that Land Rover will be taking a revised version of the new Land Rover Concept – the Land Rover DC100 – to the Los Angeles Motor Show.

Land Rover DC100 Defender Concept

We had the first view of the new Land Rover Defender – the Land Rover DC100 Concept – at the Frankfurt Motor Show last month. And of its sport derivative, the Land Rover DC100 Sport, too.

But Land Rover made it clear that the DC100 is a work in progress, and that they were looking for feedback as the quest to replace the Defender with a 21st version gathers speed over the coming years.

The overall response to the new Defender was positive, even if the DC100 Sporty was wildly ‘Concept-y’. But it appears that Land Rover are moving the DC100 on quite quickly, and are planning to show a revised version at the Los Angeles Motor Show next month.

We don’t know how much the MK II version of the DC100 will change (Land Rover could do what Alfa Romeo did with the 4C and just change the colour), but if nothing else it show that Land Rover are keen to get the new Defender under the noses of the American car buyer. Which could mean the new Defender returning to the USA.

In conversation with Inside Line, Land Rover’s Global Brand Director, John Edwards, has said that the DC100 mustn’t concentrate on being appealing to ‘Surfer Dudes’ in North America, but must be fit for the ‘…Red Cross, Zambia or the Australian Outback’. Which are sensible perspectives, especially as Land Rover has plenty of vehicles that can fulfil that market.

But he went on to say that ‘…it would be nice if we can sell it [the new Defender] to Surfer dudes.’ Which Inside Line has taken as confirmation that the new Defender – when it arrives in 2015 – is heading to US shores. Which is entirely reasonable.



It also explains the sport new Defender concept – the DC100 Sport – which, with a bit less concept and a bit more practicality – is conceived exactly for the ‘Surfer Dude’ market. The DC100 Sport could well be the variant Land Rover sees as a prime candidate for the US market.

But it seems likely that, although Land Rover intends making the new Defender fit for the Third World, it sees sales in the First World as vital. And it could be the plan, with the current Land Rover Defender now likely to survive for another 10 years, to get sales of the new Defender rolling in Western markets before rolling out a real rufty-tufty version for the Third World, as the old Defender starts to retreat from the market.

We may learn more at Los Angeles.

Source: Cars UK

Land Rover DC100 Pictures

Click on any of the images to enlarge them.






To find the detail about the Land Rover DC100 Sport concept car, read Land Rover shocks us with DC100 Sport Concept