Land Rover LRX

It's set to be a white Christmas at Land Rover, as the firm gets set to unveil a vision of its future at January's Detroit Motor Show.

These are the world's first pictures of the stunning new LRX concept car, a three-door compact off-roader that's tipped to hit the road in 2010. Finished in pearlescent white paint, the 4 seater is a dramatic evolution of Land Rover's traditional ideals. In a bold move into a new niche the newcomer will rival the forthcoming BMW X1, and Audi Q5.

Smaller, lighter, and built using reclaimed and recycled materials, the LRX is intended to demonstrate the firm's commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its new cars. Launched as Land Rover prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary, one of the car's stated goals is to become one of the least polluting vehicles in its class.

It should be no surprise that the model is the work of Brit Gerry McGovern, who was also behind the creation of the landmark Freelander in 1997. Described as a cross coupe, rather than an SUV, or 4x4, the LRX is slightly smaller than the new Freelander 2, but nevertheless designed to be more up market than its bigger brother.

Much of this is thanks to greater emphasis on leather upholstery and liberal use of the kind materials most often used in the likes of the flagship Range Rover. Cool ~~