Range Rover Evoque

Make
Land Rover
Segment
SUV

Last week, the long-rumored Road Rover looked like it was getting closer to reality after a trademark for the name was filed by Jaguar Land Rover. The road-orientated Land Rover is expected to be a high-riding wagon with an electric drivetrain to compete with the likes of the Audi A4 Allroad and Volvo V900 CrossCountry.

However, according to a new report by Autocar the Road Rover may not go into production after all. Autocar claims it won't be called the Road Rover even if it does get the green light, but a downturn in the global economy and decreasing demand for wagons may kill it off before it begins production. Time will ultimately tell its fate, but a road-orientated Land Rover could sell well since few buyers take their SUVs off-road. If it does enter production, Autocar claims the Road Rover will go on sale at 2022 the earliest as part of Jaguar Land Rover's new product onslaught.

Jaguar Land Rover is planning to expand its existing line-up with four new or returning nameplates by 2023, launch 99 new model variants and replace every current model by 2024. As well as the I-Pace, JLR will launch the all-new Defender, the Jaguar J-Pace ultra-luxury SUV, and an all-new Range Rover Evoque. Due to make its world debut at the LA Auto Show in November, the new Evoque built on a heavily modified version of the company's current steel platform offering better ride comfort and a ten percent reduction in drag and wind noise thanks to improved aerodynamics.

Future all-new JLR models will be based on a new aluminum platform known as the MLA (Modular Longitudinal Architecture). This rear- and all-wheel-drive architecture will allow vehicles to be offered with gasoline and diesel mild-hybrid engines, plug-in hybrid tech and pure electric setups. The first model to ride on this revolutionary new platform will be the new Defender, which explains why it's taking so long to develop. The Jaguar J-Pace will also ride on the new MLA platform, as will the all-new Range Rover when it arrives in 2021.