“That’s essential for us, and if that takes a few more months to get to that point, then the team will be allowed to get to that point, because we can’t put these wonderful new products in the marketplace that loses some of the magic that we have in those vehicles today,” said Mardell.
Just as important is making sure both the electric Range Rovers have the EV performance credentials to allow them to compete effectively in an increasingly crowded segment.
We know that 800V charging hardware will be fitted to enable rapid top-ups – with a maximum speed likely to be north of 270kW – but precise details of the battery size and chemistry remain under wraps.
It is also still unclear whether the electric Range Rover duo will share any of their drivetrain componentry with any BMW models, in line with a partnership the two firms struck in 2019 to collaborate on the development of new electric drive units.
Notably, the similarly sized and positioned BMW iX is available with a range of twinmotor powertrains, offering from 326bhp to 619bhp – not too dissimilar to the range of outputs offered by today’s ICE Range Rover models – but there has been no word from either party on whether these will (or can) be carried over.
The MLA architecture was designed from the ground up to accommodate both combustion and pure-electric powertrains, so there needn’t be any significant structural revisions, and the interior is expected to be all but identical to today’s car as a result.
