Upcoming Range Rover Velar replacement to get hybrid version

The Range Rover Velar successor will debut with an electric powertrain within the next six months, according to Autocar UK, and a hybrid powertrain option will be added later. The company claims that the new model is “planned to provide flexibility in the future through a full hybrid electric vehicle propulsion offering”. 

New Range Rover SUV details so far

To use Electrified Modular Architecture

The Range Rover Velar replacement will be based on JLR’s Electrified Modular Architecture (EMA), which is an electric-only platform. But as we had reported, it will be re-engineered to underpin hybrid vehicles as part of an effort to offer more choice across the portfolio. This also marks a return to an earlier plan to offer the EMA as a multi-fuel platform, and the hybrid powertrain is said to be a “unique new addition to JLR’s [ICE] portfolio”. JLR stated this move recognises that global demand still exists for combustion engine-based drivetrains.

Fast charging support, 800V hardware likely

Exact details about the type of hybrid powertrain are currently under wraps, and it remains to be seen whether a range-extender system will be offered, as mooted in 2021. Technical specifications for the EV version are also unclear, but the Autocar UK report suggests that it may be equipped with the same 800V hardware that’s said to allow the upcoming Range Rover Electric to recharge as quickly as the fastest-charging EVs in the world.

It is not yet known whether this upcoming model, which is assumed to be roughly as long as the current combustion-powered Velar, at about 4.8 metres, could accommodate the same substantial 118kWh battery pack as the bigger Range Rover EV. Notably, the Range Rover Electric’s MLA platform was designed to be modular from the beginning, with provision for an ICE drivetrain in the chassis. But whether it is possible to fit more cells into a smaller wheelbase on an EMA-based model remains to be seen. The EV’s batteries will come from the new Somerset gigafactory, being built by Tata’s Agratas.

Test mules seen with a rakish rear roofline

Instead of the traditional two-box SUV silhouette associated with Land Rover and Range Rover SUVs, test mules of the upcoming SUV seen abroad had a sleeker and more rakish look. Its roofline is sharply angled down at the back, where a small, saloon-style deck extends out.

New Range Rover SUV rivals

Mercedes GLC, BMW X3

The new SUV will take on the likes of the Mercedes GLC, BMW X3 and Volvo XC60, along with their respective EV counterparts. Faltering demand for electric luxury models worldwide has prompted many carmakers, including Aston Martin, Bentley, Lotus and Porsche, to delay or rethink their plans to electrify their line-ups fully in recent times. The debuts of flagship Jaguar and Range Rover EVs have been delayed as well, likely due to anticipation of a pickup in demand.