Will Range Rover GT Step On Sister Brand Jaguar’s EV Toes? JLR Says No

The Range Rover GT is a departure for the brand in a more car-like direction.

JLR

Range Rover has surprised the world with a new car that breaks considerably from its tradition. The Range Rover GT, unveiled this week, is not an SUV. The company that invented the luxury off roader in 1970 is doing a much more car-like vehicle, and it’s all electric. I asked Range Rover’s Global Product & Service Marketing Director, Ryan Miller how this fits in with the rest of the JLR portfolio, particularly the Jaguar Type 01 electric grand tourer that has caused so much controversy.

Range Rover GT: SUV Goes Touring

So far, only the interior has been revealed. The exterior of the Range Rover GT remains obscured by “camo”, the complicated pattern wrap intended to prevent a clear view of the outside design of an automotive prototype. But even then, it’s obvious that this is not a Range Rover as we have known it before. Range Rover is calling the newcomer a Grand Tourer and describing it as a 2+2 configuration. However, having sat in the back alongside someone who is 6ft 5in, I can confirm this is a proper four-seater, with five seats optional, and likely to have rear luggage space to challenge a station wagon. There’s a 97-liter frunk too.

Miller argues that the Range Rover GT is a bold new product that still fits within the DNA of the brand. However, while battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales are robust in Europe, with the UK managing a 30% market share for all-electric cars, the luxury segment that Range Rover is targeting has proven less enamored with electrification. Nevertheless, Miller still considers an EV the right product for its customers. “Historically, Range Rover has wanted to do something a bit more GT and car-like,” he says. However, previous drivetrains would have meant a compromised product that wasn’t true to the DNA of the brand. “It wouldn't have had the refinement level. It wouldn't have allowed us to create the compelling design that we needed, and it certainly wouldn't have had the off-road and all-terrain capabilities that are fundamental to Range Rover.”

Electrification, says Miller, is the drivetrain technology that changed this situation. “Clearly, the EV adoption rate is important because that shows the size of the market that we can operate in,” he says. “We think we know what share we can get with this car. It’s not a volume car, but we can sell the required number to justify the investment. The market is there.” However, Miller doesn’t see the same level of sales everywhere. “This is a global product, but we're going to have a greater propensity to sell in some regions than others.”

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Two of Range Rover’s most important markets have been particularly reticent about electrification. The US still languishes with under 6% market share for BEVs, and the Middle East sits at just 3%. “Both markets are really important to us, but there are nuances across the US,” says Miller. “I’m convinced this car will do well in the US, particularly West Coast. The propensity to EV there is good. The desirability of the car will mean we sell it all over the US, though. The Middle East has an EV market, and they are car nuts. They love beautiful cars, and they're not usually against EVs. They're open to them, and we've got great heritage of branding in the Middle East, all the way back to 1970.”

However, Range Rover has another potential ploy to lure electric skeptics. While the Range Rover GT is being launched as a BEV, the option is available for other powertrain formats. “It’s pure electric at the moment,” says Miller. “But we could have an alternative propulsion system. We’ve designed the EMA platforms with EV first, but from the outset, we've provisioned the ability to put another drivetrain in there with some minor body modifications.”

Nevertheless, the high front of the GT, which accommodates that 97-liter frunk, wasn’t intended purely to house this future alternative powertrain, but to maintain the family resemblance with other members of the Range Rover range. “That was design led,” says Miller. “That’s our DNA.” Miller hasn’t confirmed what the alternative propulsion system would be, although it’s not a huge leap to assume it could come from the company’s existing hybrid options. “We know what we’re going for. We quickly got down to three options, and the solution that we're going with stands out as the best choice.”

Range Rover GT Is Not A Jaguar Type 01 Competitor, Allegedly

However, the big question mark is over how the Range Rover GT will sit alongside the much-anticipated Jaguar Type 01 electric grand tourer. Although the controversial rebranding campaign depicted a sleek coupe, the production car will be a four-door luxury electric sedan that potentially overlaps the premium BEV space occupied by the Range Rover GT. Nevertheless, Miller is not worried about the two cars cannibalizing each other’s sales. “I'm genuinely not concerned about that,” he says. “I am super confident with Jaguar. We've seen both these cars un-‘camo’-ed in their natural habitat next to other cars. The GT stands out as something completely new and bold, yet it's instantly recognizable as a Range Rover, with a really alluring design. The Jaguar looks like nothing else out there, and when we see it on the open road, it's going to be extremely exciting. It’s going to do well. We say we're design-led, but the Jaguar car is even more design-led. It's got its own platform just for this car, which is not a high-volume vehicle.”

Nevertheless, the two cars certainly seem to overlap in a way that Range Rover’s existing models don’t. “The Jaguar Type 01 is a car that says a lot about the individual,” says Miller. “It is intentionally an overt and extremely sexy design. It's probably not going to be the ideal car to use every day, although people will, of course. But such is the focus on the design, we've made some intentional slight compromises. You wouldn't want to carry a family of five people around with all the holiday gear. The Range Rover GT has more versatility.”

However, no pricing for either vehicle has been announced, so there’s no indication yet whether this will be a differentiating factor. “We’re going after a very different target customer,” says Miller. “We're not going nose to nose. All sorts of people will buy it, but the use case for this car is a me car. This is a ‘see the car, see the design, fall in love with it’ vehicle. It’s maybe for people who have always wanted to get into the Range Rover brand but didn't want to drive a large SUV. It's a car for people who have children in the household or grandchildren. There is a real requirement for versatility and usability. But it's still design-led, and that's what we think the primary reason for purchase would be. Jaguar is even more design-led, and the fast pace, the grace, the on-road bias of the car, and the standalone looks versus anything else on the marketplace mean the Type 01 will be less everyday. It will be more the enthusiast car for people who really want to make a statement.”

Nevertheless, Miller expects the Range Rover GT to expand the company’s customer base. “We’re going to attract new customers to the brand, which can only be a good thing for us,” he says. With the car kept so secret until the reveal this week, though, how does Range Rover know the GT will be successful? “We do lots of research in the major cities. We fly clay concept models around the world. We talk to clinics for existing customers, and particularly with this car for conquest customers.” These are buyers stolen away from a rival brand. “The segments where we think we're going to attract customers from, we invite them, we show them the design, and we gauge the reaction. It has unanimously been a wow response. We know all the data that says what the primary reasons for purchase are: exterior design number one every day of the week in every market in the world, then interior design. The package and the range of an EV are important, but we've got the fundamentals to that equation right, too.”

The BEV specification of the Range Rover GT won’t be revealed just yet, though. “We'd love to share a bit more, but we know the rest of the story, and it's equally compelling,” concludes Miller. “We look forward to sharing that later in the year.” Range Rover defined a genre by adding luxury to offroad vehicles in 1970. We’ll have to wait a few months to see if the brand can do it again for electric grand touring.