The first images of Range Rover’s fully electric SUV have been revealed, showing a modern take on the iconic SUV. Range Rover’s first electric SUV is being put through the paces ahead of its upcoming debut. Can Range Rover’s new EV compete with Porsche and other luxury automakers?
Strong demand as first EV launch looms
Jaguar Land Rover continues to see strong demand for its luxury vehicles after reporting full-year sales (fiscal), up 20% earlier this month.
The Range Rover Sport saw the highest sales growth, with 63,598 units sold, up 83% from the 34,789 sold last year. Range Rover fiscal sales also rose 34.5% YOY to 66,199. JLR’s sales are up in every major market fiscal YTD.
For example, UK sales are up 24.5%, followed by North America (+22.5%), China (+14.4%), and Europe (+9.1%). Overseas sales are up 48% as of March (Fiscal YTD).
Range Rover expects the momentum to continue with its first fully electric SUV debuting later this year.
After record quarterly wholesale numbers in Q4, JLR said the first electric Range Rover is “generating strong interest.” In February, the company revealed that over 16,000 potential buyers had signed up for the waitlist.
Range Rover’s “most refined” vehicle is being tested in Sweden to ensure its electric SUV can withstand frigid temperatures.
Range Rover unveils first images of its new electric SUV
The first images of the initial all-black Range Rover electric prototypes reveal the iconic brand is staying true to its roots. With a modernist design, the electric SUV is unmistakenly a Range Rover.
Range Rover claims its first EV will “lead the way for electric propulsion capability, refinement, and luxury travel.” The vehicle is being tested in extreme weather conditions, from the Arctic Circle, where temperatures are -40°C, to the deserts of the Middle East, where it can reach +50°C (122°F).
The first tests focused on core components like the battery and EDU. In a first for JLR, both (the battery and EDU) are assembled in-house.
Range Rover’s new in-house electric propulsion system will allow the brand to “exceed its already renowned performance on low-grip surfaces, ensuring all-terrain, all-weather, and all-surface capability” remains unparalleled.
The electric SUV features a new traction control system, a Range Rover first that improves performance in slippery conditions.
Rather than a solely ABS unit-based traction control setup, the Range Rover Electric distributes wheel slip management tasks to each electric drive control unit. Range Rover says this reduces the torque reaction time at each wheel from around 100 milliseconds to as little as 1 millisecond.
“Range Rover with electric power – means customary Range Rover luxury, refinement and capability plus near-silent fully electric propulsion; with effortlessly smooth and relaxed journeys,” Thomas Mueller, JLR’s executive director of product engineering, said.
Mueller said the Range Rover electric is being pushed to the extremes “to ensure its capability remains unparalleled when it reaches you.”
Range Rover claims its new EV can plow through up to 850 mm (33.5″) of water. If true, that would top the GMC Hummer EV at 32″.
Following the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport EVs, the brand is expected to launch two smaller electric SUVs, which could be Evoque and Velar models. The other two EVs are due out in 2026.
The electric Range Rover will compete with the new Porsche Macan EV unveiled earlier this year and gas-powered Cayenne.
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