Automakers that hope to continue doing business over the next few years need to be increasingly aware of their fuel consumption, emissions and environmental credibility. In deference to this fact, Auto Express in the U.K. is reporting that Land Rover is moving forward with plans to launch the new LRX compact hybrid ‘ute, possibly with a bit of help from the U.K. government.

According to the report, Land Rover will borrow liberally from corporate partner Jaguar’s hardware stable, which is rumored to soon include both hybrid and extended-range EV options. Land Rover’s innovative electric drive rear axle is supposedly on the LRX menu, which would work along with the automaker’s well-known and highly-effective Terrain Response System to put power to the ground wherever possible.

If there’s any truth to these rumors, we shouldn’t expect Land Rover to have the hybrid LRX in production until at least two years have passed. In the meantime, the British-built, Indian-owned automaker is set to debut stop/start and regenerative braking on all of its models to improve their environmental performance.

These are the first official photographs of the redesigned Range Rover that will be making its premiere along with its facelifted Range Rover Sport sibling and the Discovery / LR3 at the New York International Auto Show. Land Rover’s premium SUV has received mild styling tweaks in and out along with a series of mechanical upgrades that include the addition of a new 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine.

The design enhancements to the 2010 Range Rover include subtle exterior revisions with changes to the headlights, grille and bumper as well as the new ‘three-stripe’ LED indicators and redesigned three-section fender vents.

The SUV’s interior benefits from new leather trim for the headlining, pillar and door casings while the facia buttons now feature a satin chrome-plated finish. Moreover, the 2010 model features a new dual view touch screen infotainment system plus what Land Rover claims to be the world’s largest configurable 12-in. Thin Film Transistor (TFT) screen which is found in the instrument cluster.

The most important news under the hood concerns the replacement of the 4.2-liter Supercharged V8 with a new 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine which is the same one used in the Jaguar XFR. It develops an output of 510HP and a peak torque of 625Nm.

Land Rover supports that despite the significant hike in both power (29 percent) and torque (+12 percent), the new supercharged V8 improves fuel consumption by 7.3 percent to 19mpg UK (14.8 lt/100km or 15.6mpg US) on the EU cycle and CO2 emissions by 7.4 percent to 348g/km, compared with its 4.2-litre Supercharged predecessor.

Other improvements for the 2010 Range Rover include the more powerful braking system, the updated Terrain Response and Stability Control systems and the new surround camera system which helps make parking easier.