Tag Archives: Range Rover

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2028 Range Rover Evoque: The Smallest Range Rover Goes Big on Electricity

The Range Rover Evoque has always been the fashionable city-dweller of the Range Rover family—compact, premium, and unmistakably stylish. Now, as Jaguar Land Rover reshapes its entire lineup for the electric era, the brand’s best-seller is preparing for its most significant transformation yet. Due late in the decade, the third-generation Evoque will emerge as an EV-first model riding on a brand-new architecture, signaling the final puzzle piece in the revamped Range Rover portfolio.

Electric First, and Finally Ready for the Future

When it lands—expected around late 2027, with customer deliveries beginning in 2028—the new Evoque will debut JLR’s Electrified Modular Architecture (EMA), the same 800-volt platform set to underpin the next-gen Velar and the upcoming “Defender Sport.”

EMA is more than just an EV platform; it’s a full-scale rethink. Designed from day one around battery packs and electric motors, the architecture promises faster charging, greater efficiency, and the kind of longevity JLR needs if the Evoque is going to stay relevant well into the 2030s.

The current Evoque, now a decade old, has relied on an evolving mix of mild-hybrid petrol and diesel engines, plus a plug-in hybrid. But with electric rivals like Mercedes-Benz’s upcoming GLA EV moving the goalposts toward 450 miles of range, the new Evoque has no choice but to compete head-to-head.

Official specs remain locked down, but EMA’s 800-volt capability should allow ultra-rapid charging—likely restoring large chunks of range in minutes, not hours. The motors will be built in-house, while batteries will come from Tata Group’s new Agratas plant in Somerset, scheduled to begin production in 2027.

A Split Strategy? EV-first Doesn’t Rule Out Other Powertrains

Despite the EV push, JLR is leaving the door cracked open for additional propulsion. The brand has openly acknowledged the unexpectedly strong global demand for plug-in hybrids, and EMA can accommodate a range-extender setup with a small petrol engine. The UK government’s decision to allow hybrid sales until 2035 rather than 2030 only strengthens that case.

Still, it’s possible JLR will pursue a dual-path strategy:

  • Third-gen Evoque = EV-only, and
  • Second-gen Evoque = refreshed and sold alongside it as the combustion option

This mirrors moves from Porsche (Cayenne EV + ICE Cayenne) and Mercedes (GLC + GLC EQ). It would mark a strategic shift from how JLR is approaching the Range Rover Electric and Range Rover Sport Electric—but it may be the pragmatic path in a volatile market.

Design: Evolution Outside, Revolution Underneath

JLR knows better than to radically mess with the Evoque’s iconic silhouette. So while the chassis underneath will be completely re-engineered, the exterior design will likely continue with its signature compact, coupe-like form. Think more refinement, not reinvention, much like the shift from the first-generation Evoque to the second in 2018.

But EMA’s flat-floor layout creates possibilities that previous Evoques couldn’t offer. Expect:

  • More rear legroom
  • A slightly larger cargo area (already generous at 591 liters today)
  • A more open, uncluttered cabin with fewer physical controls and a focus on screen-based simplicity

Inside, premium materials should remain a core theme, but with a design approach that feels cleaner, more modern, and more digitally forward.

The platform will also enable more advanced driver-assistance technologies and deeper cloud-based connectivity—areas where German rivals have set high standards that JLR now intends to match.

Why the Evoque Matters More Than Ever

In the UK, the Evoque isn’t just another model; it’s the model. It accounts for roughly 40 percent of all Range Rover sales this decade, a staggering figure for what is essentially the entry point to the brand. With such weight on its shoulders, the electrified Evoque must do more than simply exist in EV form—it must lead.

And that’s exactly why JLR is taking its time. The brand’s EV rollout is already stacked:

  • Range Rover Electric in early 2026
  • Next-gen Velar soon after
  • Range Rover Sport EV at the start of 2027

By the time the Evoque arrives, JLR’s electric strategy should be fully matured—and expectations will be sky-high.

The next-generation Range Rover Evoque is shaping up to be a pivotal model for JLR, a compact SUV that blends familiar design with a deeply modern EV core. If it can deliver competitive range, faster charging, and a cabin experience worthy of the Range Rover badge, the Evoque could once again set the benchmark for small luxury SUVs—this time in the electric era.

Source: Autocar; Photo: Autocar

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Chery Tried to Recreate Range Rover’s Legendary Heaven’s Gate Stunt – It Didn’t Go Well

Back in 2018, Range Rover pulled off one of the greatest pieces of automotive marketing ever recorded: a Range Rover Sport, piloted by a Le Mans–winning driver, conquering the 999 steps up to China’s Heaven’s Gate. The video—now sitting at 6.7 million views—was equal parts engineering flex and cinematic bravado, cementing itself as one of the brand’s most iconic “because we can” moments.

Naturally, someone was going to try it again.

Enter Chery, China’s fast-rising automaker, with a brand-new SUV called the Fulwin X3L—a hybrid off-roader whose design pays significant homage to the latest Land Rover and Range Rover silhouettes. In its top configuration, the X3L makes an impressive 422 horsepower, which Chery evidently felt was enough to warrant a headline-snatching spectacle of its own.

So the company brought a bright yellow example to the foot of Heaven’s Gate, lined it up with the ancient staircase, and hit record.

Spoiler: It didn’t reach the gate. Or even close.

Ground-level footage shows the Fulwin X3L powering up the steps with enthusiasm—until about the midway point, where enthusiasm turns into hesitation. The SUV begins to bog down. The driver digs deeper into the throttle, trying to claw toward the next landing. Instead, the X3L loses traction, slides backward, and violently impacts a stone barrier.

A shower of debris follows, some of it tumbling off the cliffside. The SUV, thankfully, stays put. The dignity? Less so.

Chery’s Explanation: Blame the Rope

Within hours, Chery issued a polished apology. The company explained that the November 12 test was “interrupted due to an unexpected incident” that drew “widespread attention”—corporate-speak for this was supposed to go viral for different reasons.

According to the automaker, a safety rope meant to serve as an emergency safeguard detached, became tangled in one of the X3L’s wheels, and drained power—leading to the backward slide and crash.

It’s unclear why a stunt meant to showcase power and capability needed a safety rope in the first place, but we digress.

A Historic Staircase, Now Slightly More Historic

Heaven’s Gate isn’t just a scenic photo op—it’s home to a centuries-old stone staircase leading to the 1,700-year-old Tianmen Cave, a sacred and heavily protected cultural landmark. Which means Chery’s failed stunt didn’t just dent an SUV; it damaged heritage infrastructure that predates the internal combustion engine by more than a millennium.

So yes, Chery does indeed have more apologizing to do.

Chery’s Fulwin X3L is probably a perfectly competent hybrid SUV. But engineering credibility isn’t earned by recreating someone else’s viral stunt—especially if the result is a high-profile, slow-motion failure on an irreplaceable historic monument.

Range Rover wrote the playbook at Heaven’s Gate.
Chery tried to photocopy it.
Unfortunately, the machine jammed.

Source: hongkong.newsupdates via Instagram

NEW CARS

2026 Range Rover Sport SV Carbon

The new Range Rover Sport SV Carbon has arrived, and if you thought the standard SV was already a well-tailored battering ram, this one has been put on a strict carbon-fibre diet and told to dress only in the most exquisite materials possible. It’s essentially Range Rover’s performance flagship… but now it’s wearing a bespoke, carbon-weave dinner jacket.

It completes the line-up alongside the “just fast” Range Rover Sport SV and the black-tie-optional SV Black. But the Carbon edition? That’s for people who enjoy the finer things — like forged wheels the size of manhole covers, exhausts wrapped in stealth-spec carbon, and an optional bonnet that looks like it’s been pinched straight off a Le Mans prototype.

The standard fit is a Forged Carbon Exterior Pack, which wraps the Active Quad Exhausts in carbon detailing that’s so sultry, it’s practically whispering in Italian. If you prefer your fibres arranged with military precision, there’s the Twill Carbon option, complete with its signature diagonal weave — the sort of thing that would make a Swiss watchmaker weep with joy.

The wheels? A dainty 23 inches across, forged for lightness, and hugged by Anodised Black brake calipers. Want to go full lunatic? You can spec ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre wheels — which are essentially like fitting a supermodel’s ankles to a rugby player. And if stopping is as important to you as going, Carbon Ceramic Brakes are on the menu, in Blue, Yellow, Carbon Bronze, or Black. Pick the colour that best complements your yacht.

Inside, it’s less “cabin” and more “boutique hotel lobby that happens to move very, very fast.” There are four interior themes, from Windsor Leather in shades like Ebony or Rosewood/Ebony, to a leather-free option made from Ultrafabrics™ — presumably for the type of owner who also demands their champagne be ethically sourced. Carbon detailing spreads across the dashboard and even the back of the seats, because who wants to look at boring plastic when the valet opens the door? Moonlight Chrome accents and SV-branded illuminated treadplates are also there, because of course they are.

And yes — under the bonnet, there’s carbon too. The SV engine cover sits above a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 mild hybrid that coughs up a staggering 635PS and 800Nm. Top speed? 180mph. That’s supercar pace, except this thing has the road presence of a private jet taxiing through traffic. The trick 6D Dynamics Suspension — with hydraulic interlinked air suspension, pitch and roll control — means it corners like something much smaller, much lighter, and much angrier.

Then there’s the Body and Soul™ Seat technology. It doesn’t just play music — it lets you feel it. You don’t just hear Beethoven’s Fifth; you become Beethoven’s Fifth. It’s like your seat’s giving you a private concert while you annihilate a B-road.

Range Rover says the SV Carbon is the “ultimate expression of lightweight performance.” Translation? It’s a Range Rover Sport that’s been to the gym, the spa, and the tailor — and now it’s ready to steal your parking spot while looking better than you ever will.

The new model will make its world premiere on 13 August at Range Rover House during Monterey Car Week.

Source: Land Rover