Land Rover‘s next-generation Range Rover Sport has been spied in electrifying plug-in hybrid (PHEV) form.
It’s been a bit quiet on the Range Rover Sport front for a few months now, with the last notable spied prototype appearing to be a full-out SVR model.
This new-generation Range Rover Sport was originally expected to be unveiled around the same time as fifth-generation Range Rover flagship.
Although this didn’t eventuate, a reveal is expected to be just around the corner.
Under the skin, the next-generation Range Rover Sport will ride on a variation of the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) MLA Flex architecture, as used in the fifth-generation Range Rover.
It’ll also offer a range of 48V mild-hybrid petrol and diesel variants, as well as PHEV and all-electric powertrains.
We already know Jaguar Land Rover will use BMW electric motors, the same ones used in the BMW iX3, in its all-electric Range Rover Sport.
The high-performance SVR model is also expected to feature a variation of the twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 used in many BMW models, including the M550i xDrive and M8 Competition in different states of tune.
Based on the spy photos, this Range Rover Sport prototype appears to have a similar wheelbase to the current-generation, but with shorter front and rear overhangs.
There’s a charger cap on the left-hand rear wheel arch indicating the prototype’s a PHEV. Previous internal-combustion engine (ICE) Range Rover Sport prototypes have had a fuel cap on the right-hand rear wheel arch.
The overall design appears to be more of an evolution of the current model than a complete redesign.
At the front, we can now see more of the slimmer headlights as well as the redesigned front fascia with its new grille and air intakes.
The rear of the prototype is still quite covered up but parts of the horizontal tail lights can be seen.
These tail lights units are expected to be slim like those on the Velar and Evoque.
Inside, we expect to see the latest Pivi Pro infotainment system, with an array of widescreen displays, configurable options, and over-the-air updates.
Land Rover has previously said it’ll reveal six all-electric variants by 2026, with the first debuting in 2024.
It’s unclear if these electric models will be standalone vehicles or adaptations of existing models like the Defender.
Future Land Rover vehicles will be built on two platforms. MLA Flex will support both hybrid and electric power, where the EMA platform will also support hybrid but with a more overt focus on battery-powered vehicles.
The current, second-generation Range Rover Sport has been on sale in Australia since 2013.
As the company’s second top-selling model behind the Defender, there’s a lot of pressure to make sure Land Rover gets this next-generation Range Rover Sport right.
In 2021, Land Rover sold a total of 1475 Range Rover Sport models.
It was outsold by the likes of the Mercedes-Benz GLE wagon (3591 sales), BMW X5 (3173 sales), and Audi Q7 (1646 sales).
The Range Rover Sport did outsell the Porsche Cayenne wagon and coupe (435 and 402 sales, respectively), Jaguar F-Pace (401 sales), and the Maserati Levante (393 sales) though.
