New Range Rover EV Could Feature Radical, Wagon-Esque Design In 2026

JLR’s new-generation Velar could boast radically revised bodywork upon its arrival as an all-electric model for 2026 as efforts are made to distinguish not only the mid-sized SUV from the flagship Range Rover and the Evoque, but also the Range Rover sub-brand from Land Rover’s other model lines.

Launched in 2017, and now approaching the end of its first-generation lifecycle (one facelift aside in 2023), the Velar was slotted into Land Rover’s line-up between the Range Rover / Range Rover Sport and the entry-level Evoque in response to BMW’s X3, Mercedes’ GLC and the Porsche Macan, among other models. Eight years down the line, however, the Velar has struggled to keep pace, sales-wise, with either its sister models (the Evoque outsold the Velar almost three to one in 2024) or its rivals.

This has led, according to a report from Autocar magazine, to a “genre-bending” design change away from its SUV roots upon its arrival as Range Rover’s first all-electric model next year.

Velar EV Set To Be Longer, Lower, And Bigger Than Ever

As camouflage shots of the mid-sized SUV taken during winter testing previously suggested, the Velar EV will be slightly larger than the I.C.E. model it replaces, and is expected to sit lower to the ground and feature a more wagon-esque rear design than current Range Rover products. This Porsche Macan Electric-esque look would draw the Velar more in line with Stuttgart’s mid-sized e-SUV and BMW’s iX, though less awkward than the latter

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Though no interior shots have been caught yet, the presumably larger cabin is also expected to be more minimalist, luxurious, and, in keeping with the Velar’s new electric underpinnings, tech-centric. This could prove a crucial selling point for potential customers in China, the Middle East, and even SUV-heavy North America.

A Combustion-Engined Velar May Still Be On The Cards

In terms of the electrical underpinnings, few details, save that the Velar is likely to be the first model to use Jaguar Land Rover’s new 800-volt EMA electric platform, have been revealed. The platform will probably underpin an electric accompaniment to the new Evoque too, the design of which, like the next-generation Range Rover, won’t stray too far from already-established looks and silhouettes.

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The new Velar is expected to be built out of Land Rover’s Merseyside plant in the U.K., into which Jaguar Land Rover is currently investing £500 million (just over $662 million) to enable the build of hybrid and electric models in-line with Jaguar’s new all-electric rebrand (other JLR entities will continue to offer hybrids). This has led to speculation that, following the EV’s arrival next year, a combustion-engined Velar could make its return, given JLR’s continued development of plug-in hybrid technology.

Helping To Define Land Rover’s Three Pillars

The redesign, apparently a rejig of the low-slung design previously earmarked for the now defunct ‘Road Rover’ project, will help differentiate not only the Velar from both the Evoque and the Range Rover (though stunning, the anomalous Velar design has caused confusion among potential JLR customers) but also help Land Rover differentiate its more premium Range Rover pillar from the other model lines under the company’s ‘trust mark.’

Defender, for example, now a standalone brand, will apparently be geared more heavily towards off-road capabilities, while Discovery, also now standalone, will lean more towards mainstream and ‘lifestyle’ audiences.

Source: Autocar