A team of drivers have completed the world's first ever hybrid expedition across the 'Silk Trail', travelling more than 10,000 miles from England to India.
The journey was completed in three prototype versions of the new Range Rover Hybrid, with Land Rover using the expedition as a way of testing the car in extreme conditions before it goes on sale.
The three cars took 53 days to travel from Land Rover's headquarters in Solihull to Mumbai, covering 13 countries and 10,472 miles. On the way, the team encountered temperatures as low as -10C and as high as 40C and reached altitudes of 5,500 metres above sea level.
The Range Rovers appear to have survived the journey relatively unscathed too. The only technical setbacks to befall the teams were fifteen punctures, four wheels damaged by deep potholes and four cracked windscreens caused by stones being thrown up on loose surfaces.
On top of this, the average fuel economy over the entire trip stood at 36mpg. Although that's some way off the official Land Rover figure of 44mpg, it's pretty impressive given the nature of the test.
The Range Rover Hybrid is powered by a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 engine which produces 335bhp and 516lb-ft of torque in conjunction with an electric motor. The car will be on UK roads next year.
Peter Richings, Jaguar Land Rover electric vehicles director said: "In developing the hybrid-powered Range Rover, our objective was to gain hybrid's fuel economy and carbon emissions advantages without compromising the Range Rover's go-anywhere capabilities, its cabin space or its refinement. The success of this remarkable expedition clearly demonstrates we have achieved that."
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