JLR has announced the fifth model in the Range Rover lineup — a mid-size crossover liftback GT built on the new EMA (Electrified Modular Architecture) platform, with production and sales set to begin next year.
It was known as early as 2023 that JLR was preparing a fundamentally new Range Rover with a reduced body height, but until today it was assumed that this new form factor would be applied to the second-generation Range Rover Velar. In reality, it turns out that the low-slung Range Rover is the brand's fifth model, not a replacement for the Velar.
The new model has been named the Range Rover GT, while the current Velar, which debuted in 2017, will remain in production for several more years, as JLR customers still need models with petrol and diesel engines. Whether the Velar will actually get a second generation remains unknown for now — JLR is currently not in its best financial shape and is restructuring plans to minimize risks.
The Range Rover GT has been announced as an electric vehicle, but hybrid versions are promised in the future (likely series-type, with an internal combustion engine operating as a generator). The EMA platform on which the Range Rover GT is built was announced back in 2021, featuring an 800-volt electrical architecture and promising a solid range on a single charge, though official technical details are not yet available. British magazine Autocar claims that all-wheel drive (i.e., at least two electric motors) will be standard, and off-road capability will be, shall we say, acceptable enough not to tarnish the Range Rover brand's reputation.
Today, JLR's press service published photos of the pre-production Range Rover GT in camouflage wrap and revealed its interior design. It is easy to notice that the Range Rover GT bears some stylistic resemblance to the upcoming electric Jaguar Type 01 (especially in the design of the body pillars), but it is currently impossible to determine whether there is any unification between these models. Formally, the Jaguar Type 01 uses a different platform — JEA (Jaguar Electrified Architecture) — though individual components and assemblies may be shared.
The minimalist interior of the Range Rover GT, with eco-friendly fabric upholstery and wooden trim, shows a stylistic connection to the Jaguar Type 00 concept, which is a precursor to the Jaguar Type 01. Physical buttons are only found on the steering wheel and door panels — which, as they say, is better than nothing. The narrow instrument display sits above a slightly flattened steering wheel and is complemented by a head-up display on the windshield. The front seats are separated by a high "floating" center console. The second row has only two seats, divided by a flat console with a multimedia control screen. The panoramic glass roof has no crossbars, but there is also no opening section.
New details about the Range Rover GT will be published later this year, and the date of the full premiere has not yet been announced. The Range Rover GT will be produced at JLR's plant in Halewood (England, Merseyside), which currently manufactures the aging compact crossovers Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport. Whether these models will have previously promised successors on the EMA platform remains unknown, but it is known that a smaller, angular SUV, the Defender Sport, will soon appear on this platform.
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