Land Rover is expanding its luxury-oriented Range Rover family with a new model called the Range Rover Velar.
The vehicle has been called everything from a Range Rover Sport Coupe to a Grand Evoque but Land Rover on Wednesday finally confirmed it as a Velar. Its arrival is no surprise as prototypes have been spotted on multiple occasions.
The Velar name is derived from the Latin velare, meaning to “veil” or “cover,” and was first used by Land Rover as a code name for prototypes for the original Range Rover launched almost five decades ago. The modern Velar is a very different vehicle to the Range Rover, however.
2018 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Coupe spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
It's a sleek, sexy SUV with a low profile and a slanted roof that tapers into a fastback design at the rear. The teasers reveal a design reminiscent of the Range Rover Evoque as well as positioning between the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport.
Underpinning the vehicle is thought to be the aluminum-intensive platform of Jaguar’s F-Pace, although the Land Rover has been made larger so that it can compete with the likes of the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. And despite what’s clearly an on-road focus, Land Rover says the Velar will still be able to handle the rough terrain.
The automaker will release full details on March 1 ahead of the world debut at the 2017 Geneva auto show a week later. To learn about some of the other vehicles set to appear, head to our dedicated hub.
