4 new additions to the current range, and 99 total model variants. Yikes.
Jaguar-Land Rover is about to embark on an ambitious plan that will cement its place in the future automotive landscape. By 2024, JLR hopes to have renewed its entire lineup, added 4 more cars (either new or revived nameplates), and launch 99 new model variants.
We actually know what those 4 new cars are: The all-new Jaguar I-Pace makes one, followed by the all-new Defender, as well as the Range Rover ‘Allroad’ EV (referred to internally as the ‘Road Rover’), and the Jaguar J-Pace flagship SUV. As for the renewed models, the range refresh will begin with the Range Rover Evoque that will debut next year, which will also bring about some significant changes to the JLR landscape.
The Evoque will, for the first time in the compact-SUV’s history, include a lean, green plug-in hybrid version with a CO2 rating low enough to make it much more attractive to private buyers, particularly in Europe. Interestingly, the new Evoque will actually make use of the existing steel platform from the outgoing model; It will also be the last model to do so, as every model following will utilise JLR’s all-new Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA).
MLA will allow Jaguar-Land Rover to offer a range of mild-hybrid petrol & diesel Ingenium mills, as well as better-integrate plug-in hybrid and battery-electric powertrains as well. A new range of Ingenium diesel mills will also debut, that will convert some 98% of NOx emissions into harmless gasses, making them much cleaner than even the latest revised emissions standards in place in Europe. Three base Ingenium engines will service the whole JLR lineup, with various derivatives for various applications, with the smallest of the range coming in the form of a three-cylinder mill and a brand-new straight-6.
The whole range of JLR engines will also feature electrically-powered turbochargers as standard, which will result in a capacity shrinkage of all offered mills for the range. Those brand-new straight-6 engines we mentioned earlier will replace the lusty V8 engines that have taken pride placement in the lineup for decades, offering significant improvements in terms of fuel economy, responsiveness, and thermal efficiency.
Also significant will be JLR’s update to in-car technology. While the company has recently updated its infotainment technology, a big step up will come in terms of connectivity: Every new JLR vehicle will be “connected to the web 24/7” (or so says Autocar), which should enable over-the-air updates to engine and infotainment software, and permit JLR to monitor the performance of their vehicles and inform owners about service intervals and even recalls.
As we said earlier on in this piece, the very first of these leaner and greener JLR models is the second-generation Evoque, which is slated for a debut at the Los Angeles motor show in November before hitting showrooms in early 2019.
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