Geneva Motor Show Special: Land Rover launches the Velar and Project Hero

Geneva Motor Show Special: Land Rover launches the Velar and Project Hero

Land Rover Velar

Jaguar Land Rover showcased the newest addition to their line-up, the Velar, along with Project Hero – a search and rescue equipped vehicle at the Geneva International Show.

The Velar sits between the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport and is based on the company’s Lightweight Aluminium Architecture. The design is 

inspired by both, the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport. The LED headlights and the grille are typical Land Rover and so is the rear overhang that bulges out. The bootlid houses a slim set of tail lamps tied together by the massive Range Rover badge. In terms of sheer design, the Velar is easier on the eye and its design elements contribute to a low drag coefficient of just 0.32, the lowest ever on a Land Rover.

The fascia is simple and practical, just like all Land Rovers but is flanked by the centrally mounted Touch Pro Duo infotainment system. Two 10-inch touchscreens house audio, information and other controls as well as climate control functions. To keep the animal activists happy, the Velar comes with washable textile seat materials and not leather. Land Rover has not compromised on the practicality and the Velar offers 673 litres of boot space.

There are a total of six engines that will be offered on the Velar. Ingenium diesels will highlight the Velar range, available in different tunes of power. The 2-litre diesel unit will be offered with 177bhp and 237bhp variants, both making a healthy, 500Nm of torque. The all-new 2-litre Ingenium petrol will be offered in two states of tunes – 247bhp and 296bhp. The former is capable of hitting 100kmph in just 6.7 seconds, claims JLR. The more powerful V6 diesel and petrol will join the bandwagon later. The 3-litre diesel makes 297bhp and 700Nm is capable of allowing the 2-tonne SUV to hit 100kmph in 6.5 seconds and accelerate all the way to 241kmph. The most powerful engine in the Velar range is a 3-litre V6 petrol, churning out 375bhp and 450Nm. The top whack is limited at 250kmph and the 0-100kmph sprint comes in just 5.7 seconds. You can expect an SVR version too although there is no news yet about it.

Being a Land Rover, off-road capabilities are unquestionable and the Velar features an all-wheel drive system and air suspension all round. The ground clearance is massive at 251mm and water wading depth stands at a class leading 650mm. Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 and All Terrain Progress Control also make it to the package as standard. The Velar is high on safety features too and comes with six-airbags and a wide suite of driver assistance systems including Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection, Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist and an Adaptive Speed Limiter.

Land Rover – Project Hero

Jaguar Land Rover’s special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division have custom-built a new Land Rover Discovery – codename ‘Project Hero’, which uses drone technology to assist the Austrian Red Cross in search and rescue operations.

Project Hero  Hero is on display at the Geneva motor show and is based around the 3.0-litre TD6-engined Discovery, with the aim to help response teams reach disaster struck areas faster.

The major addition to the new Discovery is a roof mounted drone. The drone can land on the car even when it is in motion, thanks to its self-centering and magnetic retention technology. When airborne, the drone can feed live footage from its camera to emergency response teams, effectively making traditional maps redundant.

The Discovery also sports a heavy-duty sliding floor at the rear, which doubles up as a work surface. There is also an extra panel behind the rear seats which can be used to mount various equipment as well.

The Project Hero car will be based with the Austrian Red Cross at its training centre in the mountainous Erzberg region, and also in Vienna, for 12 months of testing from June. It will be used in simulations to develop new approaches to disaster relief, and will also be used when the Red Cross responds to natural disasters.

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