Land Rover released a Range Rover Velar plug-in hybrid in Europe this week, using the same technology seen in other plug-in models. Land Rover has now made good on a promise made in 2017 that all new and updated vehicles launched from 2020 would be electrified -- either fully-electric, plug-in hybrid, or mild hybrid.
The first vehicles to fulfill the promise were the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), launched in 2018. These are currently the only PHEV models available in North America. However, there are mild hybrid (MHEV) options on many other models here, including the Defender. Discovery is due for a facelift soon, which will likely see the same Ingenium MHEV options installed in the engine bay, and Velar updates will come here at some point.
Thus, Land Rover has fulfilled the first stage of the promise. Now, the transition continues, as many European countries are looking to ban gasoline vehicles by 2040. The Defender, Evoque, Velar, and Discovery Sport are available or soon available in PHEVs in Europe. Discovery will likely follow with the coming facelift, and at some point, these models will likely make their way to America.
The next challenge will be fully-battery-powered vehicles. On the Jaguar side, JLR has already developed the I-Pace, the first major all-electric SUV not made by Tesla. It's rumored that an electric-only road-biased Range Rover variant is on the way, sharing a platform with the next generation of the iconic Jaguar XJ.
Although Discovery is the only vehicle not currently offering an electric option, it isn't "new for 2020" with either a facelift or new release, so technically, the pledge is fulfilled.
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