Range Rover is preparing a wave of updates to its flagship models that will carry technology developed for its electric vehicles across to petrol and diesel variants, as the brand looks to shore up reliability while preparing for an electric future.

Speaking about the current generation of Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, JLR's vehicle engineering director Matt Becker said the company is constantly refining the existing platform even as it plots what comes next. "We're always looking forward," Becker said. "We're always optimising and developing the cars for as long as we can, but there will come a point when you need to start looking at future architecture."

According to Becker, the architecture underpinning today's Range Rover was conceived 11 years ago and is approaching the latter stages of its life, though he believes it still has at least another five years of service left in it.

Before any wholesale replacement arrives, buyers can expect a significant facelift that brings chassis refinements and other technical improvements first engineered for the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport electric models over to their combustion-engined siblings. Alongside this update, a more accessible EV450 variant of the Range Rover Sport, offering less power at a lower price point, is set to join the UK lineup.

Looking further ahead, Becker suggested that battery technology could be an area ripe for development. While the current EVs are built around a fixed battery chemistry and package size, he didn't rule out exploring alternative chemistries in future models, saying it was certainly something that could be looked at "in the longer term."

Despite the shift toward electrification, Range Rover has no plans to chase Jaguar's strategy of pushing even further into the ultra-premium space. Becker's view is that the brand's electric models have already elevated its positioning, with the Range Rover Sport EV starting at £110,000 and the full-size Range Rover EV beginning at £154,000. The brand's SV Ultra trim, meanwhile, lets customers build highly bespoke, top-spec versions of the Range Rover, with pricing available only on application. A fully loaded long-wheelbase SV Ultra model would land in territory occupied by rivals like the Bentley Bentayga, and potentially even the Rolls-Royce Cullinan — the very top tier of the luxury SUV market that Range Rover considers its rightful home.

Source: Auto Express

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