Report: Next-Gen Range Rover Velar Will Be An EV

The impending electromobility has prompted automakers to jump onboard the EV bandwagon. While many petrolheads are weeping over the demise of their beloved ICE models, some automakers took the initiative to improve their existing ICE models via electrification, hence letting their iconic nameplates live on.

And that is exactly what Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is planning to do with one of its models, the Range Rover Velar. For its second-gen iteration, the Velar will be an all-electric SUV, set to go against a slew of compact EV SUVs currently available in the market.

Current-gen Range Rover Velar is already offered with plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version

As reported by Autocar UK, the Velar will be one of the first all-electric models by Land Rover, joining alongside the next-gen Evoque EV and Discovery Sport EV. All three models will be rolled off JLR’s soon-to-be-revamped production facility located in Halenwood, Merseyside, UK.

JLR's Halenwood plant in Merseyside, UK

Prior to its production, said facility will undergo an upgrading work to convert it into a full-fledged EV assembly plant, set to begin early next year. This means that the production of the next-gen Velar will only commence after the upgrading work has completed. Aside from that, JLR has remained tight-lipped about the future of the Velar model, as well as other next-gen Land Rover EV models.

2024MY Land Rover Range Rover Velar

The Range Rover Velar was originally launched back in 2017 as JLR’s bid to overthrow the dominance of the Porsche Macan in the compact luxury SUV segment. Initially, the Velar garnered an astounding sales figure, but eventually decreased as JLR shifted its priority towards the more profitable Range Rover and Defender models.

As of last year, the Velar sits as Land Rover’s second least popular model, selling only 29,845 units in 2023.

With the Velar now getting a full-on electrification for its next-gen redux, JLR hopes that it will garner much better sales numbers than before. However, the Velar EV still needs to face stiff competition against its ‘eternal’ rival, the Porsche Macan, as the Stuttgart-based marque also plans to turn them into an EV for the next-gen model.

The current-gen Velar is closely-related to its Jag sibling, the Jaguar F-Pace, as both models are built in JLR’s Solihull plant. For its next-gen iteration however, the production will shift to the aforementioned Halenwood facility, alongside other next-gen Land Rover EVs.

As for the underbones, the Velar EV will underpin JLR’s proprietary EMA platform that cater both partially and fully-electrified models. Though the details about this new platform are closely-guarded by JLR, we certainly know that the EMA will be used on the ‘road-oriented’ JLR models instead of the off-road-biased ones. For that, JLR has another EV platform named MLA, which will be underpinned by the next-gen Range Rover and Discover EVs.