Tesla is giving the luxury sedan market a kicking right now with the Model S, so could Land Rover try to protect its SUV clout with an electric Range Rover?
Well, it’s not the most absurd rumor ever.
In a report by Autocar, recent comments by Jaguar Land Rover engineering director Wolfgang Ziebart indicate to them the Tata Motors subsidiary sees a market for full electrics, but only at the top scale of its line. That indicates EVs based off of Jaguar XJs and the Range Rover.
The magazine seems to think it would go after the Model S’ 285-mile range and therefore need to be a bespoke model not currently offered that would have the opulence of the bigger models with more aerodynamic features.
JLR has stuck its toes into the hybrid waters with the diesel-electric Range Rover Hybrid, and proved off-road prowess could still be had with electrification. For now, that seems to be the path the company will take on its largest vehicles to make big efficiency strides.
But developing some kind of EV model wearing the Range Rover badge makes economic sense. If it were shaped something like a larger Range Rover Evoque with an interior as elegant as a Range Rover Autobiography, then you might have something worthy of a hefty price tag necessary to pay for those batteries.
So while an Range Rover-branded EV is probably a ways off, you can sort of picture it now.
By Zac Estrada
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