Full details on radical ‘saloon’ successor to Range Rover Velar
The move to a ‘segment-straddling’ bodystyle could also help the model compete more effectively in a segment in which many rivals field a technically identical saloon and SUV, such as the BMW i3 and iX3, the Mercedes GLC and C-Class EVs and the Audi A6 and Q6 E-tron.
Despite having a silhouette and footprint that are similar to the current Velar’s, however, it is not yet confirmed whether the new model will use that name, as has been widely speculated.
JLR is working to build its best-performing and longest-standing nameplates – Discovery, Range Rover, Defender and Jaguar – into brands in their own right, and it will begin to introduce distinct, stand-alone model lines under each of those four banners.
It is not yet clear, however, how ‘Velar’, which has only been used for a production car since 2018, fits into that strategy.
How it can win
The new mid-sized Range Rover crossover is set to become one of JLR’s best-sellers and certainly one of its most popular EVs in the medium terrm, along with the smaller and possibly cheaper Defender Sport. But it will need to be suitably technically equipped if it is to compete with its German and Swedish rivals.
The BMW, Volvo and Mercedes each offer a maximum range of around 500 miles in their longest-legged forms, and they are capable of charging at well over 300kW, which significantly enhances their appeal as long-distance executive models.
JLR has not yet released the specifications of any of its EMA-based models, but it is likely to equip the EV architecture with the same 800V hardware that is said to allow the larger electric Range Rover to top up as quickly as the fastest-charging EVs on sale.
It is not yet known if the smaller Range Rover EV, which is thought to be roughly as long as the current combustion Velar, at 4.8m, could take the same substantial 118kWh battery pack as its bigger sibling.
However, the EMA is understood to have been engineered as an ‘electric-first’ architecture.
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