China's getting the Range Rover Hybrid, due to be sold in long-wheelbase format as befits a country where people prefer to be driven, rather than drive. Set to be offered alongside its Range Rover Sport Hybrid sibling, the two Land Rover products are said to be the first diesel hybrid models from any manufacturer offered in the country.
Unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show, the RR LWB Hybrid uses the 292hp/600Nm 3.0-litre SDV6 diesel engine with a 35kW (48hp) electric motor capable of 170Nm peak torque, giving a combined output of 340hp and 700Nm - as with many hybrids, the two motors don't give out their maximum torque figures together. Land Rover claims this set-up offers SDV8 levels of performance with TDV6 economy figures.
There's an eight-speed ZF automatic driving all four wheels, naturally, and Land Rover asserts that the Hybrid can deliver 26 per cent lower CO2 emissions than said SDV8 at 169g/km (that's also a 14 per cent reduction on the TDV6's 196g/km). Fuel economy is a claimed 44.1mpg (6.4 litres/100km) combined and it's a technically identical car to the RR Hybrids sold elsewhere in the world, albeit there is a revision to the exhaust system on the Chinese model to account for local emissions standards.
The hybrid powertrain, which adds 120kg to the kerb weight, does not impinge on the Rangie's all-round capabilities, with 186mm of extra rear legroom on offer in the LWB body and - with an optional executive seating package - rear seats that can recline to 17 degrees. It has the same Terrain Response system with all-wheel drive as any conventional RR, with a wading depth of 900mm making it class leader.
Anything else?
Global order books will open in May and first deliveries to customers in China are expected from the end of the year. Land Rover says the production vehicles benefit from valuable insights it gained from its Silk Trail expedition in 2013, in which a fleet of Range Rover Hybrids proved their durability and all-terrain capability on a gruelling 16,000km route from the Land Rover factory in Solihull, across central Asia to the Mumbai headquarters of Tata, Land Rover's parent company.