Autocar understands this JLR test car is a prototype of the next Velar
JLR has confirmed plans to launch the first EMA-based electric Land Rover model in around 18 months’ time
Land Rover will launch the first electric SUV based atop its new EMA platform in spring 2026 – and it’s expected to be the replacement for the Range Rover Velar.
The marque’s first EV will be the Range Rover Electric due next year. That flagship model – and the Range Rover Sport Electric due shortly after – will use the same MLA underpinnings as the current ICE cars, while smaller SUVs will use the new, electric-first EMA architecture.
It’s expected that EMA will be used for electric replacements for the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque, as well as a smaller Land Rover ‘Defender Sport’ off-roader and a second-generation Velar, which is the only one to have been spotted testing so far.
EMA-based models will be built at JLR’s Halewood plant on Merseyside, into which the firm is investing £500 million to prepare it to produce electric cars.
While sibling brand Jaguar has confirmed that it will launch the first EV of its new era in 2026, timelines for Land Rover’s electrification push had been unclear – particularly as the brand recently rowed back on earlier plans to launch six electric models by 2026 in light of fluctuation demand for EVs.
But now JLR CEO Adrian Mardell has confirmed that the first EMA-based Land Rover – likely to be the marque’s third electric car – will be on the road in less than two years.
“We’ve been clear that that Jaguar will be the third architecture to launch,” he said. “We’ll first have MLA BEV, with the Range Rover BEV later next year. Then it’s the first vehicle off EMA, which will probably be springtime in 2026. Jaguar will be after that.”
Mardell went on to confirm a planned late summer 2026 launch for Jaguar’s electric GT – which will be previewed by a concept on 2 December.
The first prototype for the Velar EV was spotted winter testing a few months ago, wearing what looked to be a production-spec design and seemingly almost ready for an unveiling, but Mardell didn’t offer any hint as to when the wraps might come off.
The current Velar is already seven years old, but it is not yet clear whether JLR intends to keep it in production until its replacement arrives. It is the slowest-selling model in the Range Rover family, notching up just 10k sales in the nine months to September of this year, half that of the Evoque and around a quarter of the amount of full-sized Range Rovers sold. It does, however, comfortably outsell the Discovery and came in just above the Discovery Sport.
Details of the next-generation Velar remain firmly under wraps, but clearly the company remains committed to the model’s more overt road-going focus than the other models in the Land Rover line-up.
Notably, in these images its body looks long enough behind the rear axle to accommodate a third row of seats. JLR has yet to give any indication that it plans to upsize the Velar, but a roomier interior would certainly mark it out more clearly from the Discovery Sport, which is seen as key to boosting sales.
The next Velar will also be more overt in its positioning as a luxury SUV, in line with JLR’s ambition to carve out each of its core model lines – Jaguar, Discovery, Defender and Range Rover – into distinct brands with their own design languages, values and target markets.
JLR previously confirmed that it will introduce hands-free, eyes-on driving functionality with the launch of the first model on the EMA platform.
Known in the industry as level-two-plus, this the final step towards autonomous driving, where the car fully takes over. Currently only the Ford Mustang Mach-E offers level two-plus in the UK, although BMW is poised to roll out the feature on new models such as the i5.
The capability for greater autonomy comes with JLR’s adoption of US tech specialist Nvidia’s Drive chip-and-software combination.
The new Range Rover model, to be built at Halewood, is the first to use the new tech, a spokesperson told Autocar. They didn’t, however, confirm that this model is the Velar.
Car makers believe hands-free capability will become increasingly popular among customers, with many willing to pay monthly for the convenience. Ford charges £17.99 a month for BlueCruise level two-plus in the Mach-E, while BMW charges from £55 to download the hands-on upgrade Driving Assistant Plus.
JLR has also committed to offering level-three hands-off, eyes-off technology in the future.
Tom Stringer, product strategy director, said: “I think for the modern luxury customer, level three will be a really important part.” He added that it’s a “possibility” by the end of the decade.
