Range Rover is moving beyond the tall luxury SUV shape that has defined the badge since 1970. The company has shown a still-camouflaged Range Rover GT, a four-door grand tourer that will launch as a battery-electric vehicle and later add a hybrid version.
That is a meaningful swerve for a brand whose public identity is built around expensive, upright vehicles that can be sold as both country-house transport and all-terrain machinery. Range Rover is now trying to carry that image into a lower, more car-like format without losing the off-road competence that customers expect from the name.
The GT is not being fully revealed yet. Range Rover has released images of a prototype wearing camouflage, though the disguise is lighter than the boxier test cars seen earlier in public spy photos. Those prototypes had been widely treated as an electric successor to the Range Rover Velar after sightings at places including the Nürburgring and the Arctic Circle, but Range Rover now identifies the vehicle as the GT.
A new platform under the camo
Jaguar Land Rover says the Range Rover GT will be the first vehicle to use EMA, its new flexible architecture. Like the MLA platform used by current Range Rovers, EMA is designed to accept more than one type of powertrain rather than being locked to a single propulsion layout.
At launch, the GT will be fully electric. Range Rover also says a hybrid electric version is planned, though it has not given timing, battery specifications, motor output, charging figures, range estimates, or pricing. Those are the numbers that will decide whether the GT is a convincing electric grand tourer or another luxury badge asking buyers to wait for the spec sheet.
EMA is Jaguar Land Rover’s third electrifiable platform named for this product cycle. The others are MLA and JEA, the Jaguar platform being developed for the forthcoming Type 01. Jaguar’s Type 01 is also described as a four-door grand tourer and is expected to be shown later this year.
Martin Limpert, managing director of Range Rover, said the company has been working on its interpretation of the grand tourer formula and described the GT as the most car-like Range Rover yet. He also tied the car to EV performance, long-distance refinement, and all-terrain capability, which is exactly the triangle Range Rover must square if it wants this thing to be more than a sleek brand exercise.
The cabin drops some SUV habits
Ars Technica reported that Range Rover showed the GT’s interior and that the cabin departs from the company’s SUV interiors. The design is described as minimalist, but not a total touchscreen surrender: the GT retains physical controls for functions required by safety regulators in Europe and other markets.
The front cabin uses an OLED instrument display and an OLED infotainment screen. Range Rover has also made a head-up display standard. The company did not put a third screen in front of the passenger, a small mercy in a market where automakers often mistake more glass for better interface design.
The rear seat layout can be configured either as two individual seats or as a three-seat bench, according to Range Rover images. The company has not yet shown the production exterior without camouflage. More details, including the final shape, are due later this year.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.
