Land Rover confirms plug-in hybrid Range Rover and Range Rover Sport coming later this year
Jaguar Land Rover CEO Dr. Ralf Speth confirms that plug-in hybrid Range Rover models will go on sale later this year in Frankfurt speech
Jaguar Land Rover chief executive Dr Ralf Speth 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 released towards the end of this year.
On stage at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Speth made the announcement just days after Jaguar Land Rover spelt out its electrification strategy for the coming years, revealing that every model the firm makes will be available with an electrified powertrain option from 2020.
Hybrid Range Rovers will be the first cars to appear as part of that strategy, followed by the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace next year and mild hybrid technology spread across the Jaguar line-up.
Alongside the announcement, Land Rover has released an official spy image of its two upcoming plug-in SUVs. The official picture 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 testing outside the Gaydon HQ, with the Range Rover Sport model seen testing with a high-voltage sticker in the front and rear windows. Another snap taken during testing in the US shows the charging port, which is located under the badge on the grille.
It's possible that the new electric architecture being developed for the Jaguar I-Pace will be incorporated into this new Range Rover PHEV, although it does appear to be undergoing testing as a current-generation Range Rover Sport.
Speaking to Auto Express in 2016, JLR’s CEO Dr Ralf Speth said: “Forty to fifty per cent of our range will be electrified by 2020.”
While the Jaguar I-Pace is a fully-electric car, we expect this Range Rover Sport PHEV to use a petrol engine and a smaller electric motor, with a short all-electric range that's supplemented by the normal engine. Expect low CO2 figures to appeal to company car buyers, similar to the Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine.
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