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Range Rover Velar to be replaced by a radically different SUV that would be the first of its kind for JLR
The Range Rover Velar filled a key whitespace between the Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Sport when it arrived in 2017. Despite its alluring design and strategic positioning in the globally popular D-segment, it hasn’t found much success. JLR has started working on a successor now, and it has planned some radical changes in virtually every aspect.
Unlike the Range Rover Velar, its replacement will be offered in a pure electric variant and, according to a recent report from Autocar, even a full-hybrid variant. The replacement for the Range Rover Velar will debut JLR’s upcoming EMA platform. The company initially planned to develop EMA as an electric-ready platform that could also support ICE applications.
It later pivoted to an EV-only approach but has since reversed that decision. This means the future Porsche Macan rival will be available as an EV and also in one or more partially electric configurations, including mild-hybrid, full-hybrid, and plug-in hybrid. Last week, JLR said that the first EMA platform-based model “is planned to provide flexibility in the future through a full hybrid electric vehicle propulsion offering.”
The full hybrid powertrain will be a “unique new addition” to JLR’s powertrain line-up, the company added. No details about this powertrain are available at the moment, but for a company that has long relied on mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid systems, a full-hybrid setup would mark a major strategic shift on the powertrain front.
The full-hybrid powertrain could make the Range Rover Velar successor more appealing for customers in North America. In India, too, despite the small size of the luxury car market, the growing popularity of full-hybrid powertrains could work in its favour. The Range Rover Velar successor will feature a much sleeker design, which would mean shying away further from the SUV body style. Inspired by models like the BMW X4, Audi Q5 Sportback, and Mercedes GLC Coupe, it will combine two body styles.
However, the future Range Rover will not have a curvy rear section where the roofline flows smoothly into the tailgate. Instead, it will flaunt a more angular profile with a sloping but still largely straight roofline and a D-pillar that is sharply raked but set at a different angle. This would make it immediately recognisable as a Range Rover. There would also be a sedan-like small rear deck, creating a three-box look.
JLR plans to unveil the Range Rover Velar successor around the end of this year and will likely launch it in the pure electric variant globally in Q1 2027. There’s no word on the specifications of the zero-emission configuration either, but ultra-fast charging capability at over 300 kW and a WLTP range of up to over 750 kilometres are expected. The company may start sales of the partially electric configurations, including the full-hybrid variant, in mid-2027.
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