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Land Rover has confirmed Velar as the name of Range Rover’s new luxury crossover, positioned to rival Porsche’s Macan.
While Velar sounds hand-picked to hang in the air and mimic the vowel placement of the Macan, Land Rover has used it before. According to the company, the name is derived from the original Range Rover prototypes from 1969, dubbed Velar as a way to disguise or veil them. Although why any vehicle before the Defender would need a secret working title is rather baffling when the company called almost every product it made before 1983 either “Range Rover” or “Land Rover” — sometimes tacking on a generational identifier, like “Series III.”
Still, any tieback you can make to your heritage is a win when it comes to marketing. Velar also fits Range Rover’s premium image and borderline sensual naming strategy that started with the Evoque. These are names that would work just as well being whispered by a model in a perfume advertisement; they just so happen to also be the names of two British sport utility vehicles.
“We call the Velar the avant garde Range Rover. It brings a new dimension of glamour, modernity and elegance to the brand,” Land Rover’s Chief Design Officer, Gerry McGovern, said in a statement.
That probably means it won’t be as enjoyably good off-road as it is on the pavement and in parking lots.
The Velar will be the first of Land Rover’s ilk to use JLR’s iQ/D7A all-wheel/rear-wheel-drive platform that is currently being used on the Jaguar XE sedan and F-Pace SUV. Engine options will likely be dependent upon market, with the Ingenium 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel four and 3.0 liter supercharged gasoline-burning V6 a near guarantee no matter where you live.
A good way to see what else might be on offer for your home country is to check and see how you can equip the current Jaguar F-Pace.
It will be priced — and sized — somewhere between the $41,800 Evoque and $65,650 Range Rover Sport. The assumptions is that it’ll be offered with a panoramic sunroof and appear as the above teaser photo suggests, however, that ultra-clean buttonless interior looks to be straight out of a concept car. What we’re seeing may not be a finished product. Full details of the Range Rover Velar will be announced next month.
[Image: Jaguar Land Rover]
When Aston Martin resurrected the Virage for a hot minute, it didn’t really work out. But this is an SUV, so it will probably do quite well.
Long overdue.
“The assumptions is that it’ll be offered with a panoramic sunroof and appear as the above teaser photo suggests, however, that ultra-clean buttonless interior looks to be straight out of a concept car. What we’re seeing may not be a finished product. ”
That’s UNpossible! Unlike every other concept car, it has real mirrors. Therefore it’s real…haha.
Wasn’t Range Rover going to a four-door coupe (a la BMW X4 or Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class Coupe)? Is that what that is?
Where does the Discovery Sport fit into this ?
Discoveries are 7 seaters. Range Rovers are 5 seaters. Doubtless the Velar will be awesome off road just like all the other models.
What about the Discovery Sport? And the full size Range Rover that is the size of the Cadillac Escalade and longer then the Discovery? How many seaters are theses vehicles?
I cannot pronounce the baby Porsche station wagon’s name without saying the whole thing………. Mac an’ cheese.
Always wanted a Range Rover that was around 186″ in length! Maybe this is the one!