Why the Range Rover electric will be hard to differentiate from the petrol version

Earlier in April 2023, Jaguar Land Rover confirmed to the world that an electric Range Rover is in the works and will be launched by 2025. With bookings expected to start as soon as 2024, the Range Rover electric is expected to set benchmarks in the luxury EV space. The Range Rover is known in the automotive world for being at the top end of the spectrum, in terms of design, 4×4 capability and sophistication. Considering these standards, TOI Auto was excited to see what an all-electric Range Rover SUV would look like. However, we recently sat down with Anthony Peat, Chief Exterior Designer, Jaguar Land Rover and got introduced to the JLR perspective, which sounded bittersweet at first.

According to Peat, there would be no discernible difference between the Petrol and Electric Range Rover SUVs and here’s the reason behind it. “In terms of electrification, when you buy a Range Rover you don’t buy a power plant, you buy the vehicle. So we are not really signalling anything different between the ICE version and the EVs. That’s not what Range Rover will do. What electrification means is that our designers will have more flexibility to explore what Range Rover is and what it should be. Range Rover has a certain quality to it, a certain aesthetic and those sensibilities will always be there in a Range Rover product.”
Reading between the lines, while the upcoming Range Rover would still stick to the same silhouette and overall design, we may see a difference in the SUV’s cabin layout and space, thanks to the electric architecture opening up avenues for some extra space. Sticking close to the original design also makes sense because for the first-ever electric Range Rover, JLR will be using the same Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) platform that it uses for the existing ICE models. This modular approach could also allow JLR to introduce other electric models quickly.

Moreover, the new generation of ‘modernist’ design that the latest Range Rover, Range Rover Velar and Land Rover Defender follow, have just recently been launched and have a considerable shelf life ahead of them. According to a recent PTI report, Lennard Hoornik, Chief Commercial Officer, Jaguar Land Rover has said that the automaker plans to bring eight Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) to India, across its house of brands, by 2030.

Out of the eight upcoming BEVs, we already know that the first will be the Range Rover Electric in 2025 and three will be all-new models under Jaguar. The first new Jaguar BEV is expected to be a 4-door GT model with a range of 700 km and is expected to be priced at around GBP 100,000 (Rs 1.02 crore). It will also be the first to feature the all-new JEA platform. Accounting for the Jaguar i-Pace and the above mentioned EVs, this already takes the count to five BEVs to expect from the brand in the following years.