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AT MANY OF the European motor shows this year the show stealers were electric autonomous concept vehicles that previewed a future of clean green motoring. However, at this month’s LA Auto Show, the big news revolved around a glut of big new SUVs.
This seems a little at odds considering that the State of California is more known for its fast convertibles, electric Teslas and Prius hybrids. But whilst these machines look like gas-guzzlers, they can all be had with some sort of electrified powertrain. In fact, Ford Motor Company has said it is aiming for an all-electric SUV with a 300-mile range by 2020.
Looks like the Sports Utility Vehicle craze isn’t going away anytime soon.
1. Range Rover SVAutobiography
Swit and indeed swoo. This is the ultimate in luxury SUVs. If a regular Rangie is just too compact to carry you and all your wealth then you need the long-wheelbase Range Rover SVAutobiography. It has two seats in the back, one for you and the other for your wallet.
There is a massive full centre console between the two seats, which can each recline by as much as 40 degrees and offer 1.2 metres of legroom.
According to Land Rover, with a “hot stone massage function, heated calf and foot rests, the rear cabin promises a peerless passenger experience.”
The SVAutobiography can be had with a 565hp supercharged 5.0-litre V8 petrol. Or for those who don’t want to immediately melt the ice caps with their vehicle, they can opt for the P400e 404hp plug-in model, which has a claimed 50km electric driving range.
2. Lexus RX350-L
For those that like luxurious SUVs but need more than two seats in the back, Lexus unveiled a seven-seat version of its RX SUV. But if seven seats is one too many, the RX can be had with just six. You can have an extra row of fold-away seats in the boot and in the middle row a choice of a bench seat or two individual chairs.
Again, the RX350-L is a hybrid and it will be available in Ireland next year.
3. BMW X7 iPerformance Concept
The X7 Concept made its North American debut at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show and the luxurious SUV will go on sale in 2019.
It is yet another large, luxurious three-row SUV with a petrol-electric plug-in hybrid powertrain.
The powertrain marries lithium-ion batteries and an electric motor to a BMW TwinPower Turbo petrol engine, likely to be a four-cylinder unit in much the same way the PHEV X5 currently operates. When the X7 goes into production it will most likely be a seven-seat SUV not the six-seat version as seen at the motor show.
4. Subaru Ascent
Subaru also got in on the seven-seat trend and introduced the Ascent, a rugged family SUV with three rows of seats. However, at present it is only for the North American market.
5. Jeep Wrangler
Fiat-Chrysler have done a terrific job updating the iconic Jeep Wrangler. It looks rugged and cool and classic and modern all at the same time.
It has removable doors, windows and roof for even more open-air SUVing and with its 4×4 system it is a proper off-road utility vehicle. But to keep up with the times and to appeal to the more green lifestylers, the Jeep Wrangler will come with a hybrid powertrain option down the line.
6. Future Toyota Adventure Concept
So. Much. Want.
This is perhaps the coolest SUV of the whole show but, alas, for now it is still just a concept vehicle. The concept looks like a Toyota 4Runner from the future and can be powered by either a petrol engine or a hybrid drivetrain linked up to torque-vectoring all-wheel drive, with variable terrain-response settings and four-wheel lock functionality.
This means it is a proper off-roader especially with those 20-inch wheels with all-terrain tyres and liberal amounts of body-cladding protection. Let’s hope that this funky, chunky concept makes it into production.
Ireland… The best little country in the world to screw the self employed…
The best country in the world to be a politician
Having Noonan in charge of Finance is like having a fox in charge of a hen house. .
If they do away with usc they will increase lpt dont be so naive the banks were guaranteed.
Having 1000 plus children in hotel rooms B and B ect and having an 85 year old woman pass away after 2 days on a trolley should be addressed first !!
Take the 13 Billion from Apple or whatever the government can get at this stage and put some prosperity back into Ireland.
What a load of useless wasters the above people are. Half a billion for the total budget for Ireland.A fiver for the old age pensioners……
Waffle waffle waffle.
Don’t forget drag the Apple debacle out for another five years while the people of Ireland struggle because of Noonan.
Are you really so naive to think that Apple will just hand over 13 billion to the Irish government and then continue happily employing the thousands of people nationwide?
Cathal how long would it take for apples workforce to pay €13bn in tax? There are I think 6,000 of them.
Let’s not be fooled here. It’s not a billion euro giveaway. It’s a 3 billion euro giveaway. That’s how much government spending is increasing over the past year. Why the difference? Because the other 2 billion is eaten up by government “commitments”, ie increases in public sector pay and more money into the black hole health budget, most likely eaten up by consultants fees. The 1 billion is what is left to “play with”.
Imagine we had not increased public sector pay this year. We could pretty much half the USC in a single year. The government is using and abusing the middle class and private sector who create the wealth by retaining the USC to feed the insatiable public sector, welfare recipients and health consultants.
Yea your right lets knock teachers, nurses and gardai pay down to minimum wage…that will surely attract the best and stop them emigrating to Dubai etc!!
@Eoin McDonnell:
Eoin if we had halved the USC instead of giving pay rises, the nurses, guards and teachers would have benefited too.
@ Fred totally agree
Not too mention the scroungers year after year on the dole
It’s not an increase in public sector pay.. Its a very partial restoration of pay and then only for certain grades !
I don’t know anyone in the public sector who has had a pay rise, I know the younger more vulnerable members have had ONLY A FRACTION of their pay RESTORED but nope no pay rises I am afraid…
@Eoin McDonnell:
“Restore” to what? 2008 levels? Based on tax revenues from an unsustainable property bubble? Have a think about that.
You have no moral right to 2008 levels of pay. We couldn’t afford it then and we can’t afford it now, they use the USC to pay for it.
@Karl: Yes but a cut to USC benefits all workers across all sectors.
Fred yes if the ps didn’t get a pay rise you could cut usc. How much inconvenience do you think the resulting strikes would cause you. Public sector workers are running out of patience as it is. They won’t take much more bs.
Yes Fred but that would not be what we were promised. We agreed to a temporary pay cut to help us get out of a tight spot. We are out of that spot apparently so pay us. Keep the recovery going ;)
@Fred Johnson: Thats short sgihted public private nonsense , it was some wealth created there in the 2010 when the Troika landed to convert private to sovereign debt. The public service shouldered it on the double pay cuts, usc and Fempi as well as no budgets to properly complete jobs. This was right and fair.
Public workers now continue to pay USC , pay reductions and the emergency reductions in FEMPI, so roughly double your USC that’s what comes out of a nurse,garda,firefighter,civil servant pay cheque. You would swear a public servant lives in a different economy or eats a different type of bread and their kids automatically have storks delivering uniforms and football boots. So when Dublin Bus gets 12% Luas workes 18% , these people are completing with public servants among others in the housing market.
Seriously consider inviting Apple/Google/Pfizer here and saying to them unfortunately we have no Gardai working today so the army is on the streets but its not as bad the hospitals were closed last week. No investment. The jobs these people do are real jobs and necessary job roles in a functioning society. We’re all in this little place together and truth is without foreign direct investment we’d still be a basket case economy and without stability you can’t have that.
It’s not a giveaway. It was our money before the government forcibly took it from us. At most, it’s the Mafia boss sending us a wedding present after years of running a protection racket.
@Ben McArthur: Who are the government….a foreign power???
@Get Lost Eircodes: They are the proxy of foreign powers such as the IMF and the EU. They have no loyalty to the Irish people, that’s for sure.
Racketeers who have acquired the veneer of legitimacy by pretending every so often that we have the chance to throw them out. If politics stopped tomorrow, the real government would continue. Look at Belgium, who supposedly had no government for over a year. Does anyone think it really made any difference?
First priority will be the golden circle closely followed by the gombeens, cronies and sleeveens.The only difference the ordinary punter will notice is the increase in government advertising/self promotion in the poddle like media,
Sew up your pockets, Jabba the Hutt wants to remove the contents and turn them inside out .
“incentives will be rolled out to encourage entrepreneurship”. I fell off my chair reading that and I’m sure I’m not the only one. After the way small business has been treated for years anyone with sense will go elsewhere with their energy, brains and passion to start a business. Ireland exports its young qualified people and its potential indigenous businesses. When the multinationals all go to China or somewhere what will there be left here? Just fat politicians on massive pensions who will tell us it’s our own fault.
29,000 sign on Change.org petition for Reform of the daft Irish Motor Tax system … €280 for new Merc … €580 for 10 yr old 1.6L … the most regressive unfair motor tax system in the EU. poor subsidising the rich … a disgusting society to live in.
Pre-budget submission made to Dept of Finance on behalf of 29,000 signatories …. 87,000 visited the Change.org site.
I’d have no problem with self employed receiving more tax credits but they cants prove their income. Can other employees claim expenses and vat back too?
Free the Journal 50
@now-now-now:
Haha. Let the cat out.
Powerabbey
Sep 19th 2016, 10:15 AM # 33 1
Free the Journal 50
@LITTLEONE: You can see Dane’s hand writ large all over the comments section, every now and again he trips himself up. It must be hard for the most profilic profile maker to keep track of them all, especially in between driving lessons, I just hope the haste is not him texting whilst driving..:)
Free the 50 accounts
@now-now-now: Are they that bad at buying a round?
Ah sure Ireland’s a wash with money no other country can afforded to turn down € 13 billion in un-payed taxes. There will be at least a fiver for everyone in the audience.
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