Range Rover's Next Velar Is Going To Break Norms originally appeared on Autoblog.
Range Rover Velar Pretends To Be Something It's Not
The Autoblog spy photographers are camped trackside during Nürburgring industry pool testing days, and their latest sighting is of the next-generation Range Rover Velar, in particular, the EV variant (gas will also be available). Despite the engineers' best efforts to disguise what the upcoming vehicle is, the fake grilles on the front extremities of the EV are not hiding massive intake scoops to feed a combustion engine, and neither is the one between the headlights, though the former do at least feed something: brake cooling intakes. We can also see that the super slim headlights will not be as distantly separated as they appear. But it's not the front of this vehicle that we're most interested in - it's the odd rear end.
Coupe Crossover Or Station Wagon?
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To this day, Range Rover vehicles are hanging onto unsightly double aerial roof fins, but at least their placement is always as far back on the roof as possible. Siting them nearer what appears to be the middle means the production Velar won't be quite as big as it looks in these images.
The camouflage program on this prototype includes a boxy prosthetic meant to simulate the appearance of a traditional SUV's roof, but the shifting sunlight gives us multiple angles at the appendage, revealing that, although some testing equipment is mounted thereon, the production car will call for the roof to drop away rapidly behind the C-pillar. Combine that with a relatively squat stance for the entire vehicle, and this new Velar appears to be treading the line between coupe crossover and tall wagon.
Don't Be Surprised If The Velar Is Odd
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The Velar has always been a bit of a niche product, attracting neither the stealthy wealthy in their 'real' Range Rovers nor the well-to-do masses in their Discoverys and Defenders, and with a new Range Rover motif recently being quietly introduced, perhaps JLR intends for this new Velar to go in a bold new styling direction that could elevate the nameplate above its corporate relations, or at the very least, garner enough attention to entice the Porsche Macan Electric and Audi Q6 e-tron driver.
The Polestar 4 doesn't have a rear window, and JLR's own now-ultra-luxury Jaguar brand doesn't seem to think it's entirely necessary either. With that in mind, is it a stretch to think that all the fake bodywork on this Velar EV is to hide more than just an unconventional body style, also concealing a non-traditional glasshouse? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Either way, this new Velar needs to stand out to lure buyers when it arrives, expected to be sometime next year.
SH Proshots/AutoblogRange Rover's Next Velar Is Going To Break Norms first appeared on Autoblog on Jul 18, 2025
This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jul 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
