Four Range Rover EVs and two all-new electric Jaguars will be launched by 2026
FELIX PAGE
An electric version of the Range Rover Sport is due to be revealed later this year as a high-powered and highly luxurious rival to the likes of the Lotus Eletre and upcoming electric Porsche Cayenne.
It is one of six EVs that JLR plans to launch by 2026 across the Land Rover and Jaguar line-ups. When ex-CEO Thierry Bolloré presented the company’s radical Reimagine transformation strategy exactly three years ago, the plan was to launch six electric Land Rover models and at least one electric Jaguar by that point. But the company has now reworked its electrification plan slightly to enable further development time and cater to shifts in consumer demand (see separate story, above).
Current CEO Adrian Mardell told reporters on a recent call that slowing down will ensure the new cars arrive on the market in the best form possible. He said: “We talked about six Land Rovers by 2026. The reality is we’re likely to have six JLR products by 2026. We’re taking our time to make sure we put the best vehicles we’ve ever developed into the marketplace with that new technology.”
According to Mardell, the EV delays will not have a significant impact on JLR’s operations. He said: “We’re a little slower than we said three years ago. That really isn’t a business challenge for us today, for those other dynamics in the marketplace, and we’re fully committed to the macro schedule: every product will be electrified by the end of the decade.”
Under the revised plans, the four electric Land Rover models being launched by 2026 will be the electric Range Rover and Range Rover Sport – both based on the versatile MLA platform that underpins the current combustion models – and two smaller SUVs based on the new EMA platform, thought to be replacements for the Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Velar.
The flagship Range Rover EVs will be built in Solihull, while their more compact siblings will come from JLR’s factory in Halewood, Merseyside, where work has begun to prepare for EV production by the end of the year. An EV replacement for the Discovery Sport and a new entry-level Defender model are also set to be launched on this platform in the coming years.
One of the two electric Jaguars arriving by 2026, meanwhile, will be a rapid four-door GT. The other is set to be a large, luxurious SUV in the vein of the Bentley Bentayga. Bot
