Land Rover is getting ready to give the Range Rover Sport a properly electrified future.
Having introduced mild- and plug-in hybrid powertrains with the current-generation Range Rover Sport, the 2023 Sport is expected to add a fully-electric option to the mix.
Under the skin, the new Range Rover Sport is expected to ride on a version of Jaguar Land Rover’s new MLA Flex platform.
It should debut when the full-sized Range Rover shows its face later in 2021, and will support everything from 48V mild-hybrid to pure-electric power.
Based on these photos, the Sport has short overhangs and slim LED headlights like the current model, but we’re expecting a pinched glasshouse more in keeping with the Velar to feature this time around.
Our spy photographer also predicts the new Range Rover Sport will move to slim, horizontal tail lights like those of the Velar and Evoque.
Inside, expect options ranging from high-end leather substitutes to the softest, waxiest cow hide money can buy in a range of single- and two-tone schemes.
The Pivi Pro infotainment system currently rolling out across the Land Rover and Jaguar range, or a variant of it, is all but guaranteed to feature.
That means plenty of widescreen displays, flashy graphics, and over-the-air updates to make sure it stays fresh.
Land Rover is in for a significant makeover under a new business plan by Jaguar Land Rover CEO Thierry Bollore.
The off-road brand will reveal six all-electric variants by 2026, the first of which will lob in 2024.
Whether the cars will be standalone electric vehicles or electric adaptations of existing models such as the Defender isn’t yet clear.
The current Range Rover Sport
Mr Bollore confirmed the Land Rover line-up won’t be cut back in the same way as Jaguar’s, with the Range Rover, Discovery, and Defender families to carry on.
The plan is designed to see 60 per cent of Land Rover sales become all-electric by 2030.
Future vehicles will be built on two platforms. MLA Flex will support both hybrid and electric power, while the EMA platform will also support hybrids but with a more overt focus on battery-powered vehicles.
