The Range Rover Velar is set to receive a major overhaul as it is reinvented as a luxurious electric SUV. The new model will target the upcoming Porsche Macan EV with vastly improved endurance, performance, and practicality. It will be the first of several new electric Land Rover models to be produced at the firm’s revamped production line in Halewood, Merseyside. The electric Velar is expected to enter production before 2025, with EV successors to the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport to follow soon after.
The Velar was initially launched in 2017 as a rival to the Porsche Macan. Although it sold strongly at first, it was deprioritised by JLR when the semiconductor crisis hit in 2021. In the 12 months to March 2023, it was the second-slowest-selling Land Rover, ahead of the Discovery, with 29,845 units sold. However, JLR has now confirmed that at least three new EVs will be built at Halewood, one of which will be the second-generation Velar.
The new Velar will sit on an all-new EMA platform, which is likely to be a more overtly ‘road-focused’ proposition than the MLA structure that will underpin electric derivatives of the full-sized Range Rover and Discovery. The EMA is a ‘simple’ structure engineered around its floor-mounted batteries, which will be equipped with 800V hardware for rapid charging. JLR has also said that the EMA’s bespoke electric motors will offer an efficiency of around 4-4.5 miles per kWh and be the “most torque dense” in class.
The reinvention of the Velar will be a pivotal moment in the evolution of the Range Rover brand. As part of JLR’s ground-up rethink, it will split its product lines into four core families – Jaguar, Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover – in a bid to emphasise their different positioning and cultivate a stronger sense of relationship between top-rung flagships and entry-level models. The electric Velar will no doubt take obvious styling and technical inspiration from its full-sized namesake but, like the current car, will be much smaller and more accessible in terms of price.
The new Velar will retain “true Range Rover values”, as embodied by the current flagship. These include “off-road ability, usability, and refinement” packaged together in an “uncompromised” approach. The platform entered a late-stage engineering approval process nearly a year ago, and test mules for the Velar EV are expected to hit public roads and test tracks in the coming months.
In the meantime, the Velar’s appeal will be bolstered by the introduction of a heavily revised version of today’s car. The new model will feature a longer-range and faster-charging PHEV, external styling tweaks, and an overhauled interior. This will help to keep the Velar competitive until the electric version is released.
The electric Velar is part of JLR’s masterplan to produce a range of electric Land Rover models. The company has already confirmed that the cheaper and more popular Discovery Sport and Evoque will go electric, and the electric Velar is the first of several new models to be produced at Halewood. Work to convert the factory into an EV production facility will get underway next year, with the electric Velar expected to enter production before 2025.
