JLR has had a brutal couple of years. A cyberattack in August 2025 — described by the Cyber Monitoring Centre as the most economically damaging cyber incident in UK history — halted production across JLR’s UK plants and disrupted operations globally for several weeks, with the total economic impact estimated at around £1.9 billion. Then a fire at a Norwegian supplier fractured the supply chain. Then Q1 2026 profits collapsed to £66 million. Range Rover’s answer to all of it is a full-size luxury electric SUV starting at £154,070. Bold, or desperate? Probably both.
The Numbers Behind the Badge
Twin motors, 372 miles of range, and a charging speed that makes pit stops feel optional.
Twin 260 kW permanent-magnet motors deliver a combined 550 PS and 850 Nm of torque. The 118.5 kWh double-stack battery quotes up to 372 miles WLTP — or a more honest 333 miles in real-world estimates. It sprints to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. The 800V architecture is the detail serious EV buyers actually care about: plugged into a 350 kW charger, it adds roughly 220 km in 10 minutes and charges from 10 to 80% in around 22 to 25 minutes. That’s not charging anxiety. That’s a coffee stop.
- Twin 260 kW permanent-magnet motors; combined 550 PS, 850 Nm torque
- 118.5 kWh usable battery; up to 372 miles WLTP (333 miles real-world estimate)
- 800V architecture; 10–80% charge in ~22–25 minutes on a 350 kW charger
- From £154,070 UK (US pricing estimated around $130,000 by independent reporting); short- and long-wheelbase in SE, HSE, Autobiography, and SV trims
Range Rover managing director Martin Limpert told the BBC the model is the result of a decade of “considered engineering” and described the launch as “pivotal” for Range Rover, JLR, partners, retailers, and local communities. He said it would help secure jobs and support the local economy. That’s a lot of weight for one car to carry.
Built in Solihull, Carrying the Weight of the West Midlands
What the shift from diesel to battery packs means for West Midlands workers and the wider supply chain.
JLR has up-skilled roughly 10,500 workers to build this car — 9,000 in Solihull alone, with 1,500 more across the wider West Midlands. Wolverhampton produces battery packs and electric drive units, backed by over £350 million in investment as part of a broader £1.4 billion upgrade across Solihull and Halewood. Same buildings. Entirely different future.
Fewer than 300 roles are being cut alongside that up-skilling programme. JLR isn’t smoothing over that contradiction — it’s living inside it. Professor David Bailey of the University of Birmingham called the launch the “start of a new era” for JLR, saying it would bring “profound change” for the company and the entire West Midlands supply chain, according to the BBC.
First deliveries are expected between October 2026 and March 2027, with the US and China targeted as high-volume markets. Nearly 77,000 people are already on the waitlist. Whether JLR has built a luxury EV worthy of that patience — or simply survived long enough to find out — becomes clear before spring.
