Land Rover was a very different brand back in 2012. That was the year Land Rover introduced the first Range Rover Evoque and launched an ambitious plan to roll out 16 new models by 2020. In those days, the Discovery and Discovery Sport were still known as the LR4 and LR2, the Defender wasn't sold in the United States, and we hadn't even heard of the Range Rover Velar.

During a call to present the facelifted 2021 Land Rover Discovery, Product Marketing Director Finbar McFall talked about how the brand's model lineup has evolved dramatically. "We launched the current generation of Discovery back in September 2016," McFall explained. "Its launch was also part of a bigger plan. A plan that helped to establish our clear three family strategy for Land Rover."

"Defender as our most durable and capable vehicles; Range Rover as our most capable and refined; and Discovery as our most capable and versatile," McFall said. "Today, you can see how each has grown a family of its own. Three families of Land Rovers, each with their own character and customers."

Land Rover's current lineup now includes the full-size Discovery and the smaller Discovery Sport, the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Evoque, and Range Rover Velar, and the Defender 90 and 110. These new models have helped cement Land Rover's return to profitability in 2020, but its expansion is not 100% complete.

Land Rover is expected to expand the Defender lineup even wider with a new Defender Sport model positioned below the full-size Defender. The Defender Sport will likely use Land Rover's new 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine with plug-in hybrid technology. As for the Range Rover lineup, Land Rover plans to introduce an all-new Range Rover model in 2021, followed by a new Range Rover Sport. The next-generation Range Rover might even spawn an all-electric version, rumored to be called the Road Rover.

By breaking its lineup into three distinct model families, Land Rover can target customers with different lifestyles more accurately. Range Rover models cater to the ultra-luxury crowd, Discovery appeals to families, and the Defender range offers back-to-basics simplicity for those who want to relive the days of old school Land Rover off-roading.