An all-electric version of the popular Range Rover Sport is set to debut later this year. The Range Rover Sport EV will look very much like its gas-powered predecessor as a legitimate rival to Porsche’s best-selling Cayenne SUV.
Range Rover preps first all-electric SUV
If you’re shopping for a high-end SUV, Range Rover and Porsche are two of the top names that often come to mind.
Coming off its highest quarterly profit since 2017 in Q4, Jaguar Land Rover said it continues to see strong demand for its premium models. JLR’s Range Rover brand achieved record quarterly wholesale figures.
The highest-spec Range Rover SV, with an average price of $260,000 (£202,000), has already surpassed last year’s sales through the first three months of 2024 (3,637 vs 1,909).
Meanwhile, the Range Rover brand is preparing to launch its first all-electric vehicle. The company said the first Range Rover EV is “generating strong interest,” with over 16,000 potential buyers on the waitlist.
The “most refined Range Rover ever created,” according to JLR, is hitting the streets for testing ahead of the electric SUV’s official debut later this year.
JLR said last month that electric Range Rover prototypes are being tested on the road, while a medium-size SUV prototype is in development.
Range Rover Sport EV set to debut this year
In addition to the electric SUV, a smaller Range Rover Sport EV is expected to be revealed later this year.
Although JLR’s initial plans, revealed in 2021, called for six all-electric models across the Range Rover, Discovery, and Defender brands by 2026, the company recently pushed back its target.
After reporting Q3 2023 earnings, the company said it aimed to launch four EVs over the next two years. CEO Adrian Mardell admitted, “We are a little bit slower than we said three years ago.”
Madell recently told reporters that the delay is to ensure new EVs hit the market without any hiccups.
“We talked about six Land Rovers by 2026. The reality is we’re likely to have six JLR products by 2026,” Mardell explained.
The six EVs include the electric Range Rover and Sport EV versions. Both will be based on JLR’s MLA platform, which powers the current gas-powered models.
Two smaller electric SUVs are due out, expected to be EV versions of the Range Rover Evoque and Velar models. The other two EVs due out by 2026 will be Jaguar. JLR confirmed the transformation at its plants is “on pace” for EV production.
The electric Range Rover and Sport EV models will be built at its Solihull, UK, plant, where a new $77,000 (£60 million) EV underbody line is being installed.
JLR’s new body shop in Halewood is “near completion” for the upcoming smaller EVs built on the EMA platform.
The Defender Sport is set for an electric replacement, while a new mini Defender EV is also expected to launch over the next few years.
Range Rover’s upcoming EV features new active road noise cancellation tech for an upgraded cabin experience that’s nearly silent. It will also include towing, wading, and all-terrain features that will “surpass any other luxury electric SUV.”
Range Rover said its first all-electric SUV will be able to plow through up to 850 mm (33.5″) of water. That tops the massive GMC Hummer EV at 32″.
Source: Autocar, Jaguar Land Rover
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