Next-Gen Land Rover Discovery Sport, Range Rover Evoque To Move Onto Electrified Platform

As part of its electrification plan, Land Rover will move the Discovery Sport and the Evoque onto a new, “native electric” platform. That will mean that their replacements will be exclusively electric or hybrid.

The revelation comes via Autocar and follows the recent announcement that the automaker will have two platforms for all its vehicles in the near future. According to JLR, the Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) and the Electrified Modular Architecture (EMA) will form the basis for all next-gen Land Rovers.

Vehicles based on the MLA platform will continue to have the potential of being sold as mild-hybrids, while those underpinned by the EMA will focus more intensely on electric powertrains. Land Rover told investors it would introduce the first EMA-based vehicle in 2024 and that it plans to build six EVs in the next five years.

Also Read: JLR Looking For A New Partner To Create Jaguar’s EV Platform

The EMA will be designed around underfloor batteries and 800V technology. The automaker hopes to reach an efficiency of 4-4.5 miles per kWh, which would put it roughly on par with a Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus.

It seems Land Rover doesn’t want to let go of its reputation as a manufacturer of capable off-roaders and is already claiming that its drive unit will be the most torque dense in its class. And although the platform is being centered around electric vehicles, it will be able to accommodate engines for plug-in hybrids.

The automaker has big plans for its electrification strategy since it is aiming for 60% of its global sales to be of EVs and 10% to be plug-in hybrids by 2030.

JLR did not confirm which of these platforms the Velar will go onto when it is redesigned. It did, though, hint at the expansion of the Defender family to include a new model.

The MLA platform, meanwhile, will be introduced in 2022 or 2023 and will be the basis for vehicles like the Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport. JLR added that although it will be less EV-focused, the architecture will have the capacity to accommodate fully-electric drivetrains.