Land Rover hybrids
Both Range Rover and Range Rover Sport to get eco tech
JAGUAR Land Rover has confirmed that plug-in hybrid variants of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport are on the way, with both new Land Rover hybrids to be unveiled towards the end of this year and going on sale at the beginning of 2018.
On stage last week at the Frankfurt Motor Show, JLR’S chief executive Dr. Ralf Speth made the announcement just days after the British company laid out its electrification strategy for the coming years, revealing that every model the manufacturer produces from 2020 will be available with the option of an electrified powertrain.
“At Jaguar Land Rover we are shaping our future whilst remaining true to our values and so take care of our customers,” Dr. Speth said at the German show.
“Innovation is in our nature, and we deliver. Later this year the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport will have a plug-in hybrid electric option.”
The hybrid Range Rover models will be the first cars to appear as part of JLR’S electrification strategy, followed by the all-electric Jaguar I-pace next year and mild hybrid technology, which is expected to spread across the Jaguar line-up as the most affordable version of the firm’s electrification plans.
Both the Range Rover and Rover Sport plug-in hybrids are expected to make use of a 2.0-litre four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine, linked to an electric motor and driven through all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
That engine is currently available in various states of tune ranging from 197bhp to 295bhp. The Range Rovers are expected to make use of the powerful version of that
News Plug-in hybrids due this year Electrification for every JLR car “Innovation is in our nature, and we deliver. Later this year the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport will have a plug-in hybrid electric option”
engine to help offset their kerbweight. A pure electric range of over 30 miles is likely and will match the newcomers’ rivals for pure EV performance.
The main benefit of the plug-in hybrid system will be dramatically improved efficiency for both models. CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km and economy in excess of 130mpg are the figures we’re likely to see from Land Rover’s first plug-in hybrids. The powertrain will also find its way throughout the rest of JLR’S product portfolio.
Alongside the announcement, Land Rover also released an official picture of its two upcoming plug-in SUVS. It follows on from the various spy shots of the Range Rover Sport PHEV testing that we’ve published over the previous months, in the run-up to the official announcement.
Our spy photographers have caught the car on the road outside the firm’s Gaydon HQ, with the Range Rover Sport model seen testing with a high-voltage sticker in the front and rear windows. As the official image shows (above), the charging port is under the badge on the front grille.
It’s understood that the launch of the plug-in hybrid Range Rovers will coincide with the rollout of facelifted versions of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.
The completely disguised test mules indicate that a raft of cosmetic changes is also due, alongside the introduction of the plug-in hybrid technology.
New LED headlamps and reprofiled front and rear bumpers are likely to make up the bulk of the exterior changes, while an updated cabin with the latest version of JLR’S Incontrol infotainment system should also appear in production cars.
The plug-in hybrid Range Rovers aren’t JLR’S first electrified products – a hybrid version of the Range Rover was sold from 2013. JLR bosses haven’t denied a fully electric Land Rover model could arrive in future using the Jaguar I-pace’s platform.
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