According to sources, Land Rover has confirmed that the Land Rover LRX Concept that debuted at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show in January has been approved for production as the 2011MY Range Rover. Built on the same platform as the Freelander, the Range Rover LRX would sit beneath the Range Rover Sport as the smallest, most compact model in the Range Rover family. Although the 2011 Ranger Rover LRX will feature 5 doors (as opposed to the Concept’s 2) and a slightly revised front bumper, the basic design elements of the LRX Concept will remain unchanged in the production version.

In keeping with the Range Rover’s smaller, less-obtrusive theme, Land Rover Managing Director Phil Popham claims the 2011 Range Rover will be Land Rover’s “greenest” vehicle to date. At launch, Popham says the new Range Rover will produce under 150 g/km of CO2 emissions, which in terms of fuel-efficiency roughly translates to about 50 mpg. As research and development continues, Popham also hinted that a hybrid Range Rover could debut as well, cutting emissions even further to 120 g/km and boosting fuel consumption to around 60 mpg.

With all of the performance and mechanical updates to the 2010 Range Rover Sport, you might anticipate that Land Rover is re-energizing themselves by returning to their off-roading, go-anywhere roots. You’d be wrong. While built well, off-road capable, and with a huge amount of new engineering clearly on display, little of its expensive high-tech trappings are meant to make the Range Rover Sport any better off of hard pavement.

Land Rover LRX Concept

The revitalization of Britain’s two most storied automakers by Indian-owned Tata Motors can not begin soon enough. Following news last month that the companies had lost a combined $501.5 million, it is not surprising that now they have announced that 300 jobs and production of the X-Type will be cut. Can the LRX stop the bleeding?

2009 Jeep Liberty

The Jeep Cherokee had, and still has, such a loyal following, that following its replacement with the Liberty in 2001, Jeep lost alot of respect among off-road lovers. It wasn’t that the original liberty was a bad vehicle in comparison to say, the Honda CR-V; it was that it was such a significant departure away from the toughness that Jeep had fostered for over half a century. The newest Liberty is a step back towards its roots in both style and performance, but is it enough? Or is the 2009 Liberty more Compass than Cherokee?

Tata Execs Force Smiles Amid Financial Downturn

Give Ford credit, their timing in unloading Jaguar and Land Rover could not have been better. Despite dwindling sales and the dark looming clouds of factories being shuttered, Tata Motors has finally introduced its Jaguar and Land Rover brands in India, one of the world’s fastest-growing automobile markets. Unfortunately, saddled with the two of the biggest money drains in the auto world, Tata is reporting an annual loss for the first time in eight years. How much have Jaguar and Land Rover cost Tata?

The all new 2010 Land Rover Range Rover debuted at the New York Auto Show today, and despite the fact that we secretly (ok, openly) deem the Range Rover unworthy of living up to the utilitarian, rough ‘n’ ready promise of the Land Rover nameplate, if we have to cover the debut of one more 50-horsepower micro compact, the next piece of news you’ll hear about the NY Auto Show will involve the NYPD Crisis Negotiation Team attempting to talk us down from the ledge of the convention center – so the 2010 Range Rover it is.

Unveiled alongside the Range Rover Sport, the new 2010 Range Rover represents a fairly drastic change for the über luxury SUV and, we must say, a marked improvement. The exterior modifications are relatively subtle and don’t venture too far beyond the traditional “update” most automobiles receive every 5 years or so – because the real changes were made where it counts. Beneath the hood, the 2010 Range Rover receives two new, powerful engine options designed by Tata to provide both the road-hugging performance of a Jaguar with the rugged off-road capability of a Land Rover. The first of the new engines is a naturally aspirated 5.0L V8, conservatively rated at 375-horsepower (280kW) and 375 lb-ft (507Nm) of torque and allegedly capable of sprinting from 0-60 mph in 7.2 seconds. The second powerplant is a supercharged variant of the 5.0L V8 and boosts engine output to a staggering 510hp (380 kW) and 461 lb-ft (624Nm) while simultaneously cutting the Range Rover’s 0-60 mph time down to a mere 5.9 seconds. For those owners who actually use their Rover for the purpose with which it was intended (all 3 of them), the 2010 Range Rover also comes with a highly advanced Terrain Response system that electronically adapts both the traction control and suspension system to deftly maneuver any surface, be it a treacherous mountain range or sandy desert.

According to a recall alert published by the NHTSA today, Land Rover is recalling 19,168 Range Rovers produced between 2003-2005 due to a relatively serious problem with the drivetrain. Apparently, the front differential coupling sleeve and the propeller shaft have the potential to misaligned, which will eventually wear down the spline. The problem may not be noticeable at first, but over time it will manifest itself in noises and/or vibrations (which may or may not be audible to the driver, depending on how big the assumed aftermarket sub-woofers are and which Ice-T track happens to be playing).

Read the NHTSA’s full recall after the jump

Currently a running back for the New York Jets, Thomas Jones keeps a colorful lineup of whips in his garage including a candy apple red Rolls Royce Phantom, a violently orange Ferrari 360 Spider, and a surprisingly subdued cool-blue Range Rover. Media shy both by nature and on principle, a glimpse into Jones’ private life is a rare treat indeed as Jones is one of those increasingly rare NFL players with a healthy dose of humility. Although it seems painfully cliched to further explain that Jones’ grew up in a small coal mining town to hard-working parents who always stressed the value of education – it’s a fact worth mentioning regardless.

A phenomenal athlete with an unpretentious character the likes of which I haven’t seen Barry Sanders, I like Thomas Jones so much, I’m not even going to give him a hard time for that obscenely-hued Phantom.

Hit the jump to check out Jones’ other rides