LAND Rover has announced that its push for a greener future will feature a two-wheel-drive (2WD) option in addition to the traditional all-wheel-drive derivative for the new compact Range Rover.

On sale next year, the 2WD vehicle will emit less than 130g/km of CO2 – making it the lightest, most fuel efficient Range Rover ever.

JaguarLandRover has committed to investing £800m in developing environmental technologies and remains committed to developing vehicles with sustainable features which respond to customer demand.

Phil Popham, Land Rover managing director, said of the 2WD version: “This is good news for the company and for our customers.

“A 2WD option is just one way in which we are developing our vehicles’ efficiency while adding to the Land Rover range and expanding our customer base. We will continue to make the ‘world’s finest all-terrain vehicles’ for those customers who require 4WD but will also now offer an alternative to those that don’t.”

As part of the introduction of 2WD, Land Rover will be focusing on three main areas of technology to reduce the weight of Land Rover vehicles, reduce parasitic losses and increase powertrain efficiency. The use of hybrid technology is also part of the significant developments for the larger vehicles in the range. The first diesel hybrid will be available in 2012 and on the road in 2013.

By the end of 2010 Land Rover will be testing the first diesel hybrid prototype called the ‘range_e’ which is being developed using a Range Rover Sport platform.

Tests of this vehicle, pictured, will use the existing 3.0 litre TDV6 diesel engine featuring a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission The goal is to achieve a range of 20 miles using electric power only, emitting less than 100g/km of CO2 emissions and to achieve a top speed of around 120mph.

Land Rover has more than 60 years of experience developing supremely capable vehicles with pioneering technology such as Terrain Response. Land Rover sells its vehicles in over 160 countries worldwide and is constantly looking at the marketplace and developing vehicles that customers in all these markets want to buy.