According to Autocar UK, The baby SUV will be built on a unique platform that will be shared with Tata and JLR’s new Chinese partner Chery. They also say that Tata is currently working on two new set of small engines which will be of 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre and will power the new model.

The SUV could also be the first Land Rover to be built entirely outside UK and the report suggests that the British automaker is considering producing the SUV from its Indian facility, but has not revealed any details in this regard.

Price wise, it is believed that the compact SUV will start at 18, 000 GBP (Rs 15 Lakh) and will be front-wheel drive in the lower variants.  It is obvious that the vehicle will be launched in our markets and will rival vehicles like the Skoda Yeti, the Grand Vitara and the Honda CR-V as well as the Ssangyong Rexton.

Meanwhile the company has also signed an agreement with a Sri Lankan company to open a production facility there. The company, SML Frontier Automotive, is currently in the process of setting up the facility and will begin production by the end of the year. 

Source: Autocar UK

He said that the company is considering changing the existing industry practice of mid-life facelifts and give the Evoque (and future models) not only design updates but technical changes as well as others factors like materials used in construction of the vehicle.

Speaking to Autocar UK, McGovern also confirmed that newer derivatives of the Evoque would be launched in the future and hinted at a Sport version of the Evoque.  The latest update for the Evoque that Land Rover has given is a new ZF nine-speed gearbox.

Source: Autocar UK

The increase in ratios improves fuel-efficiency as well as reduces emissions.  Due to the close nature of the gear ratios, the acceleration will improve as will the quality of ride. The ratios at the lower end are also much closer than before and this is expected to improve response of the engine during activities like off-roading and towing.  

The new gearbox has been fitted with a skip-shift function which allows the driver to skip a gear during heavy deceleration or rapid downshifting. The system has also been programmed to memorise the driver’s shift patterns thus aiding him/her in having a better driving experience. 

The ZF 9HP will replace the current six-speed one found on the Evoque and funnily enough it is lighter than the latter by almost 7.5kgs. 

As the name suggests, the paint job of the special edition Evoque has a heavy dose of yellow. The car can be availed in Sicilian Yellow body paint with black roof or with black body and a yellow roof. Based on the dynamic trim, the option of selecting three-doors or five-doors, along with any of the three powertrains is open.

The Sicilian Yellow Evoque is also the first to get the new Black Design Pack – new rear spoiler, tinted headlamps and foglamps, clear tail-lamps and Range Rover badging in black. The new pack will be available as an optional extra on Dynamic trim starting April. The other changes in the special edition include 20-inch black alloy-wheels, black exhaust tip and black inserts on the bumper.

The prices for this model are expected to start around GBP 44,000, which is about 5,000 GBP more than the normal version. Then again, unlike majority of the Indian companies JLR is not rolling-out SE editions to push sales; these are mainly to grab attention and at times for some extra revenue.

The recall is due to an issue with retaining bolts of the rear brake calliper, which have not been sufficiently torqued. This is likely to lead to a situation where the calliper could end up detaching from the wheel hub resulting in loss of braking power or damage to the tyre. 

Land Rover has said that it will start contacting owners of the affected vehicles in mid-January. Owners will have to take their vehicles to the nearest dealership where  the issue will be resolved free of cost.   

Jaguar Land Rover will now run a 24-hour production line at its Halewood facility to cope with the demand for its top-selling SUV the Evoque. The facility will now run three shifts with the night phase beginning at 9.30 pm.  This is the first time in the factory’s 50 year history that the production has gone into overtime. 

The increase in demand has been attributed to the global success of the Evoque, which has seen a total of 88,000 orders since its launch in July 2011. The highest demand for the SUV has been from the newer car markets including China where over 12,000 cars have been sold. The company is expected to rake in 1.5 billion GBP in profits. 

Thanks to the 24 hour production cycle, the factory is now employing over 4500 persons, thrice the number from three years ago. The effect of this increase will also be seen on vendors and suppliers who will most likely increase their production cycles and hire more people. The move will also come as a booster for the British car industry which has been something of a dead horse over the last few years. 

Land Rover will showcase the convertible as a design and engineering study. Plans to get into production aren’t confirmed yet.  The soft-top convertible is based on the Evoque Coupe and features a fully retractable premium roof system with a Roll Over Protection System [ROPS].

The concept has been developed by Land Rover Design Director, Gerry McGovern and his team. Commenting on the concept, McGovern said: " This study is not a traditional convertible design execution - instead we have worked with the balance of the Evoque's lines to retain its distinctive shape and create something that is unique and, we believe, highly desirable."

The awards are unique in the United States because instead of being given by a single media outlet they are awarded by a coalition of automotive journalists from the United States and Canada who represent magazines, television, radio, newspapers and web sites.

The awards are designed to recognize the most outstanding new vehicles of the year. These vehicles are benchmarks in their segments based on factors including innovation, comfort, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.

It is the second win for Hyundai. In 2009 the Genesis won. The Sonata was one of three finalists last year.It was the first win for Land Rover although Land Rovers were finalists twice before.The jurors gave the Elantra 174 points, the Passat 161 and the Focus 155.The jurors gave the Evoque 254 points, the CR-V 142 and the X3 94.