Jaguar Land Rover isn’t concerned about vehicles emerging from China with designs suspiciously similar to its own, noting they cannot match the heritage of Range Rover and have so far yet to impact the brand’s sales.

Of all the new SUVs being launched by Chinese brands, none have drawn more comparisons to existing Range Rover models than those from Chery-owned Jaecoo, specifically the J5 and the J7, often labeled as the ‘Temu Range Rover.’ We tested the J5 recently, though it obviously doesn’t compete in the same segment as any Range Rover. Speaking with Australian media recently, global Range Rover managing director Martin Limpert said if anything, having its designs copied is a “compliment.”

Read: They Nicknamed It The Temu Range Rover, Car Insurers Are Pricing It Like The Real One

“If other brands… copy our designs [it] is a signal that within the luxury world our design seems to be inspirational… what is important for us is to stay [as] the original – that’s why we will keep evolving,” Limpert told Car Sales. “It’s probably a bit of a badge of honor – we take it as a compliment.”

Range Rover Still Stands Out

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Limpert went on to add that people buy a Range Rover because “they want the best of the best,” and they’re willing to “pay the extra money” for it.

“We are operating from a position of strength… having that British originality, design and engineering ingenuity built over more than five decades and five generations of Range Rover has specifically brought us into a position where we are thankfully synonymous with the choice of [world] leaders.”

As impressive as some new Chinese vehicles are, they obviously lack the heritage and name cachet of some legacy brands. However, recent sales trends show that car buyers in the lower end of the market are buying Chinese cars in growing numbers, often won over by their value. Buyers in the premium and luxury segments are very loyal to the brands they like, however, and it won’t be easy for new entrants to sway shoppers out of car companies they already trust.

Moving forward, Range Rover’s global marketing boss Ryan Miller added that the company will continue to differentiate its models from the competition. One obvious example of this is the new low-slung GT, set to launch soon as the brand’s fifth model.

Land Rover’s baby Defender is back in front of our spy photographer’s lens, and you’d be forgiven for wondering what’s changed. The camouflage is still doing its job, the shape looks familiar, but there’s one very Defender-like detail we haven’t had such a good look at before. Yep, that’s a spare wheel hanging off the tailgate.

It might seem like a small detail, but the rear-mounted spare is a visual hallmark of both today’s Defender and the classic model that preceded it. Adding one to the compact SUV helps separate it from the endless stream of similarly sized premium crossovers, most of which have swapped spares for cans of tire foam in the pursuit of saving a few lbs – and a few g/km of CO2 as a result.

Same Bones As The Range Rover GT

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Unofficially dubbed the Defender Sport, though its true name is still under wraps, the newcomer goes in completely the opposite styling direction to JLR’s upcoming electric Range Rover GT. The pair share EMA architecture and running gear, but whereas the GT adopts a dramatically low, fastback profile, this SUV embraces an upright roof, squared-off tail and chunky proportions to maximize practicality and Defender attitude.

More: The Electric Range Rover Costs $25,000 More Than The Gas One And Tows A Ton Less

The EMA platform was conceived around electric power, with an 800-volt electrical system and rapid charging. Previous prototypes have supported that story with blanked-off grilles and no visible exhausts, and this one appears to follow the same recipe.

Hybrid Option Added

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But times have changed, and so has JLR’s plan. It openly acknowledged that the rush toward EVs hasn’t happened as quickly as anticipated (especially in the crucial US market) and that hybrids have proved surprisingly popular. So it’s updated the EMA architecture to also work with hybrid (but not plug-in) powertrains.

Whatever powers it, the baby Defender should have some interesting company when it arrives, potentially in 2027. Mercedes is preparing its own smaller G-Class, giving buyers two compact interpretations of some seriously recognizable off-road machinery.

There’s another familiar name headed its way too. China’s Chery has revived the Freelander, although the new model isn’t a Land Rover despite borrowing a badge and design cues strongly associated with the British brand’s past. But you won’t get a rear-mounted spare on the Freelander…

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Land Rover has finally pulled the covers off the Range Rover Electric, giving its flagship SUV a battery-powered option after years of teasing. The pitch is V8-matching output from a silent dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup, the usual isolation from the outside world, and, according to Gaydon, no loss of off-road ability.

Look for visual drama and you won’t find any. The Electric is nearly indistinguishable from the fifth-generation combustion SUV that arrived in late 2021, with changes limited to a slipperier grille, new alloy wheels, and a reworked underbody. Together they trim the drag coefficient by 0.01 cd and add up to 10 miles (16 km) of highway range.

More: Range Rover’s New GT Is The Sedan-Like Crossover Gaydon Knows Will Split Buyers

The SUV will be offered in standard- and long-wheelbase configurations across SE, HSE, Autobiography, SV, SV Ultra, and SV Black trim levels, alongside a curated First Edition launch model.

The interior is also carried over from the standard Range Rover, albeit with EV-specific graphics on the screens featuring AI-assisted range prediction and over-the-air updates for the battery. A lot of emphasis was given to acoustic refinement, with the electric model running 7 dBA quieter under full throttle compared to the V8-powered version.

Electric Power

Beneath the familiar aluminum body sits an electrified take on the Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA). Two electric motors, both engineered and built in-house, make 349 hp (260 kW / 354 PS) each, for a combined 542 hp (405 kW / 550 PS) and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm). That’s 12 hp (10 kW) and 74 lb-ft (100 Nm) up on the mild-hybrid twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8.

More: Land Rover Delays Electric Defender Because The Gas One Won’t Stop Selling

The instant power delivery from the electric motors makes the zero emission model quicker off the line, with a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) acceleration in 4.3 seconds compared to 4.5 seconds for the V8-powered equivalent.

Energy is stored in a double-stacked lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 118.5 kWh. The battery pack is housed within a high-strength aluminum case under the cabin floor. The WLTP range is up to 372 miles (600 km), while Land Rover’s own EPA estimate lands at 333 miles (535 km). Respectable, but far from class-leading among luxury electric SUVs, given that the 570 hp BMW iX5 60 AWD is quoting an EPA figure of 435 miles (700 km).

When connected to a 350 kW DC fast charger, the 800V battery charges from 10 to 80 percent in 22 minutes, and can add up to 137 miles (220 km) of range in 10 minutes.

More: Range Rover Shoves New EV Sport Out Of An Airplane, But V8 Fans Can Relax

Land Rover filed over 300 patent applications for the electric SUV. One of the highlights is the ThermAssist heat management system, which saves up to 40% on heating energy and adds up to 25 miles (40 km) of range in extreme weather conditions.

Chassis Setup

The Range Rover Electric adopts twin-valve active dampers sourced from the Range Rover Sport SV alongside dual-chamber air springs and rear-axle steering. Sensors automatically monitor water level, extending ride height and allowing an impressive wading depth rating of 35.4 inches (900 mm).

More: You Can’t Buy Land Rover’s New Flagship Without This Matching 1993 Classic

Thanks to a new Integrated Traction Management (ITM) system, the Range Rover Electric can tackle slippery terrain with ease. Furthermore, the Intelligent Driveline Dynamics (IDD) system allows it to handle inclines up to 33 degrees and steep climbs of up to 45 degrees, honoring the off-road credentials of its ancestors.

The electric SUV tips the scales at 6,360 lbs (2,885 kg), making it 165 lbs (75 kg) heavier than the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant, although the center of gravity is lower than the V8 version. Maximum towing capacity stands at 5,512 lbs (2.5 tons), which is down from the 7,716 lbs (3.5 tons) rating of combustion models and the 6,614 lbs (3 tons) of the PHEV.

What It’ll Cost You

Here in the States, the Range Rover Electric opens at $138,000 before the $2,450 destination and delivery charge, which brings the real number to $140,550. That’s nearly $25,000 more than a base gas Range Rover, which runs $113,300, or $115,750 delivered. The P550e plug-in hybrid makes the electric look reasonable by comparison: $128,900, or $131,350 delivered, a difference of just $9,200.

In the UK, it’s priced from £154,070 ($208,200) on-the-road. Production takes place at Land Rover’s Solihull facility in the UK alongside the mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants.

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Jaguar Land Rover will soon launch a fifth member for the Range Rover family, badged the GT, blurring the lines between a sedan and a traditional SUV. Roughly a month after the company first teased it, the new model has been snapped testing at the Nürburgring alongside two important rivals.

Several heavily camouflaged prototypes of this new model were spied in motion throughout the first half of this year. During this time, it was reported that the mystery new model would serve as a successor to the current Velar. That ended up not being the case, as in July, the new GT was confirmed as a new addition to the Range Rover portfolio, rather than as a replacement for an existing model.

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Read: Range Rover’s New GT Is The Sedan-Like Crossover Gaydon Knows Will Split Buyers

Several key elements of the GT’s design are similar to those of other Range Rover products, such as the Velar and Evoque, but its roofline is much sleeker and sits lower than both models. There’s no telling how this shape will affect rear headroom, but the slippery profile should boost efficiency and the car’s driving range.

Competing With The Germans

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As these images show, the new GT is being tested alongside the Audi Q6 e-tron and BMW iX3, so it’s pretty obvious which vehicles JLR is targeting with this model. Initially, the GT will be sold exclusively as an EV using an advanced 800-volt electric architecture that supports DC charging speeds of up to 350 kW.

Further details about the powertrain have yet to be confirmed, but it’s safe to assume it will be offered in single-motor, rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor, all-wheel-drive configurations. The flexibility of the GT’s Electric Modular Architecture (EMA) will allow for a hybrid version to be introduced in the future, broadening the GT’s appeal, particularly in markets where EVs are failing to break through at the pace many car manufacturers had anticipated.

It’s not just the exterior design of the GT that distinguishes it from other Range Rover models. The model’s interior takes inspiration from the all-electric Jaguar Type 01, rocking an intriguing two-spoke steering wheel, a narrow digital instrument cluster, and a large central infotainment display.

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In the next couple of years, Land Rover was expected to launch a new generation of the Defender and, with it, introduce an all-electric model. A new report claims these plans have been delayed by two years, although this pause will not impact the long-awaited baby Defender.

Jaguar Land Rover boss PB Balaji is being pressured to cut costs, especially with the Trump administration’s tariffs in place. It also appears content with the success of the current Defender, and evidently doesn’t feel the need to rush ahead with its replacement.

Read: The Baby Defender Was Supposed To Be Electric, JLR Just Changed Its Mind

While the existing Defender, launched in 2019, remains relatively fresh, JLR has previously said its architecture cannot support an all-electric version. As such, a new model will be needed should the automaker choose to offer it as an EV, like it will with the new baby Defender. With the delay, The Times reports the new Defender won’t launch until the 2030s, although a specific date isn’t yet known.

Company staff have reportedly been told that the two-year delay is due to the current model’s success. Roughly 110,000 examples are being sold each year, or roughly a third of JLR’s total volumes.

The current Land Rover Defender is subject to a 15 percent tariff when imported into the United States because it’s assembled in Slovakia.

Jaguar Land Rover’s plans for the baby Defender have also changed in recent months. Initially, the EMA-platform-based compact SUV was set to be sold exclusively as an EV, but it was recently revealed that the vehicle’s architecture is being modified to support hybrid powertrains as well. Limited details are known about the new hybrid model, but it will not be a plug-in hybrid, instead utilizing a more traditional setup. This change has happened amid ongoing shifts in consumer demand in some markets away from EVs and towards hybrids.

Range Rover is preparing to push the envelope with an all-new addition to the lineup called the GT. It’s an all-electric, off-road tourer that brings a sedan top with SUV pretences, making it the automaker’s fifth model behind the Evoque, Sport, Velar and Range Rover. It won’t cause the sort of uproar that greeted JLR’s upcoming Jaguar Type 01, but nobody at Gaydon is expecting a unanimous verdict on this one either.

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Its near sedan-coupe format leans into the more opulent, soft-road side of the brand, yet isn’t a direct replacement for the Velar, as some reports had previously suggested. Curious? Read on as we table all there is to know in the lead-up to its official reveal.

Party Up Top, Business Below

We’ve seen JLR’s official camouflaged prototype images, and now we have stripped back the covers to reveal something that’s halfway between a crossover and a fastback sedan. Up front, it sports a broad, shallow interpretation of Range Rover’s familiar grille, flanked by ultra-slim LED headlamps, while vertical outer intakes enforce a performance-orientated stance.

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In profile, it retains the lower visual bulk of other models in the lineup yet livens things up with a swept-back glasshouse, frameless windows, and a contrasting roof. Side surfacing is clean and simple with flush door handles and little in the way of excessive creases. At the rear, slim taillights merge with a gloss-black panel featuring spaced Range Rover lettering, and the dynamic look is finished off with a steeply raked tailgate.

A Minimalist Outlook

Range Rover has already provided a glimpse inside, revealing a minimalist 2+2 cabin with class-leading rear occupant space. The aesthetic is very much in the Polestar playbook, with horizontal lines and a heavy use of woven textures, which could upset those used to the usual swaths of leather, wood, and chrome. 

Front-seat occupants are greeted by a single central OLED touchscreen and a slim driver’s instrument cluster. Interestingly, its two-spoke steering wheel and stripped-back architecture echoes that of Jaguar’s all-new Type 01, although Range Rover takes a less radical approach. Expect expansive digital functionality with AI assistance, terrain-response off-road goodies, and augmented-reality navigation.

Electric Performance

Underpinned by the automaker’s new Electric Modular Architecture (EMA) platform, the GT will be an all-electric affair from launch, although, curiously, it could come in a hybrid format later.  

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Questions remain over powertrain specifications, yet we have a good idea of driving range based on shared prototype images, with 288 miles (463 km) at 80 per cent charge, which roughly translates to 360 miles to a full charge. Expect an 800-volt system with a 100-120 kWh battery and peak DC charging up to 350 kW.

Review: China’s $26,000 ‘Temu Range Rover’ Is A Bargain Until You Actually Live With It

Dual-motor, all-wheel drive is expected to be standard fare. Jaguar’s Type 01 could offer some pointers to performance potential, but don’t expect a tri-motor setup with that full 1000 hp. 

Rivals And Reveal

Positioning should put the GT into unexplored territory, facing everything from the Porsche Cayenne Electric, Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo and Lotus Eletre, to potentially overlapping with the Jaguar Type 01.

Final testing is already underway, with production commencing later this year at JLR’s Halewood factory in Merseyside, England. An official reveal will take place in the coming months.

For several months, Jaguar Land Rover has been spied testing a low-slung, crossover with a sleek, tapered body that rides low and reads more sedan than your typical crossover, not unlike the Polestar 4. This model had been expected to launch as the next-generation Range Rover Velar. As it turns out, the prototypes belonged to something else, an all-new, fifth member of the Range Rover family called the GT, previewed here for the very first time.

The existing Range Rover Velar will continue to be sold as is for the foreseeable future, and the Range Rover GT will be sold as a separate model, offered exclusively with an all-electric powertrain at launch but later being offered with a hybrid setup. It’s underpinned by the company’s flexible EMA platform and clearly takes inspiration from the upcoming Jaguar 01.

Read: Range Rover Shoves New EV Sport Out Of An Airplane, But V8 Fans Can Relax

Visually, the GT shares a few cues with the existing Range Rover Sport, including a low front end and sharp headlights. It sits lower than the Sport, though, with a far more coupe-like profile. From the side it brings the Cadillac Celestiq and Jaguar’s Type 01 to mind, if only in broad outline, since the GT is noticeably shorter and stumpier than either one.

No Ordinary Range Rover Cabin

The cabin of the GT is reminiscent of the highly controversial Jaguar Type 01, a sedan that has yet to be revealed in full but has been extensively previewed by the British marque. Just like that vehicle, the GT has a head-turning steering wheel with thick horizontal spokes that appear to house touch-sensitive capacitive buttons. The airbag unit has then been positioned below the center line of the steering wheel.

Elsewhere, the stalks appear identical to those of the Jaguar, while there is also a slim display serving as the instrument cluster, and a large central infotainment display, suspended above a floating center console. The cabin is truly unlike anything else to wear the Range Rover badge and will no doubt be a big talking point of this vehicle. JLR says the GT will be sold as a four-seater to start with, but a second-row bench seat boosting capacity to five will be offered at a later date.

According to Range Rover managing director Martin Limpert, “The Range Rover GT will redefine the grand-touring segment with the ability to deliver beautiful and engaging GT poise, proportions and long-distance refinement while offering capabilities no conventional GT can match.”

More details about the Range Rover GT will be announced later this year, although the marque is not yet ready to say when sales and deliveries will begin.

A new Range Rover Velar is in the works, and it will look nothing like the model it replaces. Recent spy shots show the Velar morphing into a high-riding sedan, and it is expected to arrive in all-electric and hybrid forms. It is already deep into testing and could break cover within the next six months. So what does the new Velar have going for it?

The new model will be the first Jaguar Land Rover product built on the EMA platform. That architecture was originally drawn up to handle electric powertrains alone, which explains a few recent reports pegging the Velar as EV-only. Last week, JLR waved those off, confirming the platform will accommodate hybrid powertrains as well.

Read: The Range Rover Velar’s Radical New Design Continues On The Inside

Specifics about these powertrains are not yet known, but Autocar reports that the platform will include an 800-volt electrical architecture. The EV will be positioned as a competitor to the BMW iX3, Mercedes-Benz GLC EQ, and Volvo EX60, albeit more closely aligned in profile with the low-slung Polestar 4. There’s no word on how big the battery pack could be, but to adequately rival those vehicles, it could offer up to 100 kWh of capacity, if not slightly more.

Sleeker Than Ever Before

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Whether the electric Velar comes with single- or dual-motor setups is also unclear. If Land Rover wants to widen the model’s reach, offering both would be the smart play. JLR has fielded two-wheel-drive models since 2010, though only in entry-level Freelander and Evoque variants, which leaves plenty of room to expand the mix.

The design of the new Velar was penned by Gerry McGovern before he left Jaguar Land Rover. It’s unclear why the company has decided to ditch the current Velar’s more traditional SUV shape for something different, but it will also allow it to compete with electric sedans like the BMW i3 and electric Mercedes-Benz C-Class, as well as their SUV equivalents.

The report adds that the new model may not wear the Velar name at all, as JLR works to carve Discovery, Range Rover, Defender, and Jaguar into distinct brand families.

Illustrations Nikita Chuyko/Kolesa

There is speculation that, like the Polestar 4 and the new Jaguar Type 01, the Velar may go without a rear window and lean entirely on a rear-view camera. That would let the automaker free up rear headroom, and ditching the conventional rear screen also does away with the bulky header rail a glass pane usually demands.

JLR needs the new Velar to work. It will be the first all-new model since PB Balaji took the lead of the company, who also serves as the chief financial officer of Tata Motors. It should sell in higher volumes than the full-size Range Rover and the Land Rover Defender, in part owing to its more approachable price tag.

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