Jaguar
Whatever people think about the zero-zero concept, recently exhibited in a new colour – ‘French Ultramarine’ – at an event linked to Paris Fashion Week (see picture), even the haters must acknowledge that the car has got everybody talking.
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Even small things such as a huge discussion over the air conditioning grate-like panel on the back of this design study turned out to be a masterstroke. Many got into a lather over the supposed lack of a back window. Only this was never the case, as the actor Barry Keoghan proved when photographed reaching into a luggage bay, the slats revealed as a moveable cover panel. Will this also appear on the four-door production model? We don’t have too long to wait for the answer as the ‘Type 01’ is set to be revealed in eight months’ time.
Already, certain details have leaked or been announced. One such is that the big GT will have a Nickel Manganese Cobalt battery supplied by Tata-controlled Agratas. Jaguar says the EPA-target is “up to” 430 miles (just under 700 km), while prototypes have been photographed undergoing extreme cold weather testing. These have huge wheels and tyres (likely 23-inch) as well as frameless doors with flush handles.
Three future models
The GT (Type 01 is a speculative name) is still 15-16 months away from series production, meaning that UK deliveries won’t commence until August 2026. Which is a long time for both prospective buyers and the dealer network. Presently, the sole Jaguar still in production is the F-Pace but it isn’t available in Britain or most other European markets. Build will end in the first quarter of next year.
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By GlobalDataWhat comes after Type 01 has not been officially stated but rumours say a huge limousine and an SUV, each also electric-only, will be launched between 2027 and 2030. They too will be based on JEA, a bespoke architecture for the leaper-logo brand. Combined annual volume for these three models will be less than 50,000 units. Some industry observers wonder if that may be a wildly optimistic number.
What becomes of Jaguar’s manufacturing operations in China is also unknown. This, a JV with Chery Auto, had been relatively successful but is fading fast. February wholesale data show 226 examples of the XEL delivered to dealers, along with 159 units of the XFL and a mere 30 E-Paces. Land Rover did about double that last month (487 R-R Evoques and 353 Discovery Sports = 840 locally built vehicles). More on this below.
Land Rover
JLR now refers to a so-called ‘House of Brands’ for Land Rover. Translation: groupings of models linked to either the Defender, Discovery or Range Rover names. As the Discovery Sport, Range Rover Sport, Evoque and Velar each long ago expanded those clusters, only the future additional Defenders are, in this context, news.
So what’s ahead? JLR would bristle at this statement of fact but the Discovery Sport is now ancient and should have had a successor years ago, while the Discovery itself has been a huge sales disappointment. Why then will it take until 2027 for the bigger of that pair to be replaced? And there is even a suggestion that the Disco Sport might be facelifted yet again and remain available until decade-end.
JLR is understandably concentrating on rebuilding its finances, having taken a huge hit during the Covid years and the almost now forgotten semi-conductors shortages. Ergo, the biggest, most expensive vehicle lines are being prioritised, and this has translated into great success for both the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. An electric RR comes next, this long-heralded model set to be revealed later in 2025.
Decade-long Range Rover lifecycle
The L460 series Range Rover, new in 2022, likely won’t be facelifted until 2027 while its successor is as far off as 2032. And where once it had been thought that this, the sixth generation model, would not feature combustion engines, those plans are now believed to be classified as ‘watch and wait’.
There might well be electrified six-cylinder power for the Range Rover until the mid-2030s, perhaps even longer in relevant (i.e. non-European) countries. The same applies to the future Range Rover Sport which is due for launch in 2033.
What of a second generation Velar? Although almost universally admired, it hasn’t been that strong a seller. This has led to speculation that it may not be replaced. Technically, that should happen in 2027 but JLR might instead give the model a second facelift in 2026, extending the lifecycle until 2029 or even 2030.
Chery platforms, but for which models?
Some believe there may in fact be a different strategy in play for certain medium-sized Land Rovers, such as the Evoque and Discovery Sport. Under this scenario, Chery Auto’s M3X (also known as T2X) and E0X modular architectures could be employed for the replacements. And while this seems an unusual and left-field approach, it could make sense in terms of cost.
Rebodying certain Chery and Exeed brand SUVs, manufacturing each at the Chery JLR plant in Changshu, could, in theory, work for both JV partners. Might a China-made Discovery Sport successor even become a global export out of China? It’s possible, and would also give JLR relatively rapid access to its long-term collaborator’s electric and electrified powertrains. However, with the current reality of tariffs on exports to Europe and North America, the Chery alliance seems more likely to be more of a technological one.
In the nine months since Chery’s chairman Yin Tongyao announced the platforms deal last June, little more has been said, but we are likely to learn more during the second half of 2025. A new locally made Land Rover could arrive as soon as 2026 or 2027, followed by a second model six to twelve months later.
The first of two features for the OEM Tata Motors’ brands examined Tata itself. Click here to see that report.
