In what looks like to radically differentiate itself from its existing range, Range Rover has confirmed an all-new fifth vehicle: the Range Rover GT, a all electric grand tourer built on the company’s Electrified Modular Architecture (EMA), the same platform that will underpin other mid-size cars from the brand.
Range Rover has only shared photos of camouflaged prototypes so far, as the GT is believed to still be undergoing final testing, ahead of a full launch expected later this year. This means that details on this all-new model are scarce to say the least: no price, no range and no power figures have been disclosed. As for the release date, Range Rover has confirmed that the GT will hit the road in 2027.
What’s clear from the camouflage images is the GT’s sleek silhouette and coupe-like proportions, more commonly associated with Range Rover’s sister brand, Jaguar, than with the brand known for its commitment to SUVs. Both companies are located under the parent company, JLR (formerly Jaguar Land Rover).
The Range Rover GT’s sleek interior features a small driver’s display and a larger center display, but the company has avoided the auto industry’s return to physical control devices.
Courtesy of JLR
In a statement, Martin Limpert, global managing director of Range Rover, says the Range Rover GT is set to “redefine the grand touring segment” with “its GT balance, proportions and long-distance refinement”, adding that the electric vehicle will offer “capabilities that no conventional GT can match”.
Including the word “conventional” does a lot of work. Range Rover will likely endeavor in the coming months to explain why this new all-electric grand tourer is not a direct competitor to Jaguar’s new all-electric grand tourer, the highly anticipated and polarizing Type 01intended to mean a complete reset for Jaguar, also arriving in 2027.
“We have spent the last few years obsessively working on the fundamentals of the GT formula, reinterpreted in a sophisticated and uniquely Range Rover way,” says Limpert, adding that this GT, like its SUV counterparts, will apparently still be capable of going off-road. “The result is the closest Range Rover to a car ever created. Its blend of effortless electric performance, class-leading long-haul refinement and all-terrain capability is pure Range Rover, while its interior provides a glimpse into our vision of a modern grand tourer.”
The rear of the GT offers plenty of legroom, a central screen for passengers and a panoramic roof that narrows to maintain a grand tourer silhouette.
Courtesy of JLR
Images of the Range Rover GT’s interior show a clean, minimalist cabin with plenty of legroom for rear passengers, a panoramic roof and, up front, a wide, slim driver’s display coupled with a larger central screen. A hidden air vent spans the entire width of the cabin, while the speakers are hidden under the same fabric that wraps the dashboard. However, Range Rover has stuck to touchscreens for all controls, ranging against the trend of the automobile industrywithout what seems to have no dedicated physical equipment, even for air conditioning.
Directly comparing the exterior and interior design of the GT with that of the upcoming Jaguar Type 01, it is clear that there are family resemblances.
The GT will be built on JLR’s EMA architecture at the Halewood factory in the United Kingdom, the same mid-size platform that will power the next-generation replacements for the Evoque EV, the Land Rover Discovery Sport, an electric successor to the Range Rover Velar, and the upcoming “Baby Defender.”
However, EMA is not the architecture that will be used for larger inbound flows. Range Rover Electric– which will operate on JLR’s Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) and will be built in Solihull in the UK. Crucially, it’s this larger MLA platform that forms the basis of the Jaguar Type 01. Range Rover says the GT will initially arrive in EV form, but will be followed by hybrid options “later in the lifecycle” of the car. Jaguar is committed to being an electric-only brand, although the MLA is capable of supporting mild-hybrid and full-hybrid variants.
So, are Range Rover GT and Jaguar Type 01 competing for the same customer? That’s a question I asked Range Rover, and got this answer from a spokesperson: “Range Rover and Jaguar are two very different brands, and the vehicles sold under each are very different propositions. The Jaguar Type 01 is a four-door electric luxury GT, while the Range Rover GT is a new take on the Range Rover formula, the first vehicle to sit on the EMA platform, retaining the Range Rover’s off-road capabilities.”
It’s no surprise that Range Rover insists there’s a significant difference between its new model and Jaguar’s EV relaunch. However, more will have to be revealed about the GT to put an end to such obvious comparisons. After all, there’s no denying that the Range Rover and Jaguar cars are grand tourers, both launching next year, both from the same parent company, both electric, both pursuing wealthy buyers who want comfort and refinement for long-distance driving rather than off-road capability.
Despite different architectures underneath, if the more capable Range Rover GT ends up being priced near (or, perhaps worse, below) Jaguar Type 01 territory, JLR will, somewhat disconcertingly, offer two luxury four-door GT EVs from two of its own brands in a very similar pool of buyers.
