Two all-new electric models will follow hot on the heels of the pricier Velar EV
The next-generation Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport will also be offered exclusively with electric power, together taking JLR into the heart of one of Europe’s fastest-growing and most competitive vehicle segments.
These two mid-sized crossovers will again be substantially differentiated but closely related under the skin, serving effectively to rival the likes of the Lexus RZ 450e and Volvo XC40 Recharge respectively.
They are expected to launch close together within the next two years, following the arrival of the electric Velar, and will play a fundamental role in helping JLR achieve its lofty electrification goals. By 2030, 60% of all Land Rovers sold will be pure-electric, and six years later it will stop selling combustion cars completely.
Together, the Evoque and Disco Sport – each priced from £34,000 – accounted for around a third of Land Rover’s near-300,000 global sales last year, despite the production of each being restricted by the limited supply of semiconductors. Although the current-generation cars will be approaching the end of their expected life cycles next year, they have both been extensively and regularly updated – most significantly gaining plug-in hybrid options – since launch, which is a testament to their importance to the firm.
The duo will initially continue to serve as the entry point into the Land Rover line-up (and the wider JLR portfolio, when the Jaguar E-Pace is retired). However, the company has suggested a fourth EMA-based model could follow the Velar, Evoque and Disco Sport down the production line in Merseyside, reigniting long-dormant speculation that a cheaper ‘baby Defender’ SUV is on the cards. JLR has given no indication of this mysterious new entrant’s positioning, though, and an expansion of the Discovery family remains a possibility.
Aside from the expected visual and technical reinvention, the next-generation Evoque and Discovery Sport will benefit from significantly more spacious interiors and improved packaging, particularly given that the decision to make them electric-only means the EMA platform does not need to be engineered to accommodate a combustion engine up front or a transmission tunnel.
Whether the extra space could facilitate the introduction of a seven-seater remains to be seen, but the three-row electric crossover segment is still in its infancy (the Mercedes EQB is the only mid-sized option currently on sale) so a Discovery Sport EV with seven seats could stand relatively unriva
