Land Rover LRX Concept To Debut In Europe

The upcoming Geneva Auto Show is making big news these days. From the debut of the Ford Fiesta to Rinspeed’s sQuba, the much-anticipated auto show in Switzerland will also mark the European debut of the Land Rover LRX concept.

After the warm response it got from the North American auto market at the Detroit Auto Show, the Land Rover is set to test Europeans’ demand for this new car concept before it goes to production in 2009. According to topspeed.com, the Land Rover LRX concept is a highly-fuel efficient cross-coupe that claims to reduce fuel consumption by up to 30 percent. The LRX concept includes a 2.0-litre turbodiesel hybrid that features an Electric Rear Axle Drive (ERAD) that allows the car to utilize electric drive alone at minimum speed while maintaining a full and even improved 4X4 capacity.

Meanwhile, worldcarfans.com reported that this new three-door Land Rover LRX concept was primarily designed to suit the demands of the luxury and executive sector in the auto industry while maintaining Land Rover’s trademark quality of breadth of capability. The LRX, with its compact size, boasts of its lighter weight and, as mentioned earlier, fuel economy. It has the potential to enhance fuel economy by up to 60 mpg with its 120 g/km CO2 emissions.

At topspeed.com, Land Rover’s Managing Director Phil Popham said that the LRX is a concept that proves the possibility of putting Land Rover’s qualities into a package that is more compact yet fuel-efficient. Meanwhile, it remains a concept until it has gauged the public reaction not only in North America but also in Europe which is considered as one of the toughest markets for luxury vehicles. Adding a repair manual in the entire package could be a better idea, isn’t it?

The Land Rover LRX concept will have its European premiere together with the Defender SVX on March 6 to 16 at the Geneva International Auto Show.

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BMW To Cut Down Workforce

We are very much aware that American automakers are reeling as if they have just been hit by a right cross by Kimbo Slice. General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler have been reducing their workforce for months now and have shut down plants and reduced shifts on some of their assembly facilities.

On the other hand, we are under the impression that European automakers are sailing smoothly with a few setbacks here and there. But recently, Edmunds reported that BMW, yup, the same German automaker which manufactures vehicles with auto parts as reliable as Acura alternators, has announced that they are looking to cut about $8.7 billion in cost by 2012.

That announcement is really similar to when the Big Three announced that they are cutting down costs. The German automaker will also take steps similar to what the Big Three has done. BMW will be trimming their workforce and will reduce their spending on materials and research and development.

Now, this is really bad. Bad in the sense that there will be a lot of people forced out of their jobs and that has never been good. Another thing I am worried about is that the quality of vehicles that the German automaker manufactures may decline. Sure, the automaker has been creating wonderful machines for as long as we can remember, but they were able to do that because of their prowess in R&D.

Any company which focuses on R&D can easily develop products which will attract consumers. So, if BMW starts slashing down budget, there is a chance, albeit a small one, that the quality of their future vehicles may suffer. But then again, BMW surely knows what its doing.

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