The next Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque will reportedly feature hybrid and electric variants, the latter potentially also coming with a petrol range-extender option.
Autocar reports the redesigned models will be introduced in 2024.
They’ll use a new platform called the Electrified Modular Architecture, designed around either a large battery located in the floor or a smaller hybrid system battery.
EMA models will also feature a small, range-extending internal combustion engine, in a similar vein to the BMW i3’s range-extender option.
The next Discovery Sport and Evoque won’t offer diesel powertrains and will reportedly shift further upmarket.
Pictured: current Discovery Sport
The next Evoque and Discovery Sport are also expected to debut a new electrical vehicle architecture that enables the “consolidation and reduction of the number of ECUs” and supports over-the-air updates, according to Jaguar Land Rover.
The new models will also offer level four autonomous driving technology.
EMA will also reportedly be used by two new members of the Defender family including an all-electric model, eschewing the current SUV’s D7x platform.
The ability in an electric vehicle to precisely distribute torque and power to each wheel means Land Rover can offer an all-electric Defender with similar or potentially superior off-road prowess to the current, internal combustion engine vehicle.
Pictured: current Evoque
The new EMA architecture is part of a £10 billion (A$18.19 billion) investment program for Jaguar Land Rover that’ll also yield the new, aluminium-intensive Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA).
EMA-based vehicles are expected to account for half of all Jaguar Land Rover sales by 2030 – around 340,000 cars – while MLA-based models will account for 40 per cent and Jaguar’s electric vehicles will make up the rest.
While plans were scuttled to build a new Jaguar XJ and a flagship J-Pace SUV off the MLA platform, it’ll live on in Land Rover models.
It’ll underpin the next-generation flagship Range Rover in 2022, before making its way to the Range Rover Sport.
MLA can support mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric powertrains.
It isn’t yet known what platform the next Velar will use.
JLR has also scratched plans to introduce an MLA-based, all-electric SUV that was being referred to as the Road Rover.
Pictured: current Discovery
Autocar reports that, despite the success of the Defender, the Discovery’s survival has been assured for another generation.
It’ll reportedly continue to be built in the UK rather than alongside the Defender in Slovakia.
The range extender/electric motor pairing in the next Evoque and Discovery Sport mightn’t be the only type of range extender that JLR will offer.
An internal briefing obtained by Autocar suggests the company could leverage hydrogen fuel cells in the future as a range extender.
MORE: Land Rover Discovery Sport news and reviews
MORE: Range Rover Evoque news and reviews
