Dec. 18, 2007 Land Rover is set to unveil its first green concept car, which the company says indicates the brand's "progressive shift" toward the eco-consumer market. The compact, lighter-weight LRX aims to incorporate sustainable features without losing Land Rover's core customers keen on agility, power, and performance.

"We are determined to make sustainability a key element in our future product design and the way we do business, while still creating vehicles that have a strong emotional appeal as well as fulfill people's practical needs," says Phil Popham. "No one technology delivers all the answers to whole life sustainability, but the LRX concept brings together some of the future ideas that interest us, into a car that we believe represents an exciting way forward for Land Rover."

Land Rover is targeting the SUV crossover market with its new vehicle, touting the lighter-weight LRX as marrying the agility of a sport utility vehicle with the increased fuel efficiency and lower emissions of a compact car. The structures of the seats and instrument panel have been left exposed to cut down on the use of heavy materials, and the side windows and sunroof are made of polycarbonate, which is around 40% lighter than glass.

Other sustainable materials include vegetable-tanned seat leather, aluminum (both lightweight and readily recyclable), and interior carpeting made of sustainably sourced felt. The door inserts and headliner are covered in 100% recycled-content "suede" made from used plastic bottles.

The four-wheel-drive LRX has also expanded Land Rover's Terrain Response system, which optimizes traction on difficult surfaces, to include an "eco" mode for lower-emission urban driving.

Land Rover will unveil the new LRX at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2008.