Frankfurt motor show 2007 - Land Rover

In an effort to make its cars more socially acceptable, all diesel Freelanders will have a stop-start system installed from the end of 2008.

Stop-start, as the name suggest, switches off the engine while the car is stationary - in jams or at traffic lights, for example.

This lowers carbon dioxide emissions and improves fuel economy. For the Freelander, this means emissions will drop from 194g/km to 179g/km of carbon dioxide. Importantly, that means they drop down one car tax band.

Fuel economy improves from 37.7mpg to 41.5mpg.

The gossip on the stand is of what Land Rover calls a sub-compact 4x4 concept car which we will expect to see first at one of next year's big motor shows.

The concept will still live up to Land Rover’s core off-road brand values but feature better sustainability.

It won't be a cheap entry-level Land Rover - company insiders insist it will still be a premium car, with prices similar to the Freelander.

Expect to see production versions of the vehicle by the end of 2010.

Land Rover has also pledged to help raise £1million for the British Red Cross through its G4 Challenge.