Front-Wheel-Drive Land Rover Coming

Over the last few years, the automotive world has suffered multiple changes that would have been unimaginable in the past. The most recent one targets Land Rover, which will introduce the first two wheel drive vehicle in its history this fall, as autocar reports.

Land Rover will make a front wheel drive version of the upcoming LRX coupe-styled sports utility vehicle. The SUV is expected to be unveiled at the Paris Auto Show and enter production next year.

The company has decided to build the front wheel drive version of the car in order to exploit the growing potential of this segment of the SUV market. The 2WD incarnation is expected to use the same powerplant as the rest of the LRX range: a 2.2 liter diesel engine that uses turbocharging to offer 185 hp (this has been developed by the Peugeot Citroen Alliance). A six speed manual transmission will come as a standard feature on the LRX.

One of the advantages of the front wheel drive version will be the low CO2 emissions, as the vehicle is expected to post a figure of under 130 grams of C02 per km. In addition to that, the FWD model will be priced lower than the all wheel drive one.

The LRX project has received support for the British government, who decided to support Land Rover develop a new model that is more eco-friendly than the rest of the vehicles in the automaker’s range. The UK authorities will provide a 27 million pound financial aid package for Land Rover.