- The two least expensive Range Rover models will cease production in mid-2027, the company says.
- No direct replacement is planned, but the factories will shift to building an electric vehicle and a “new model from the Defender family.”
The two least expensive Range Rover models, the Velar midsize SUV and the Evoque compact SUV, will both disappear from the market next year.
The buying opportunity: Dealers already have more of both models in stock than they’d like. The news could mean lower prices on both.
What’s next for Range Rover: The company doesn’t plan a direct replacement for either model.
Instead, a spokesperson tells Kelley Blue Book, “Production of both models will end in mid-2027 in line with their natural product lifecycles, as JLR’s manufacturing facilities transition to build its next generation of vehicles.”
A factory in Solihull, England, “will continue to focus on producing Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, and the forthcoming Jaguar Type 01,” while one in Halewood, England, “will transition to produce the new Range Rover GT and a new model from the Defender family.”
We don’t know what that last item might be, but the GT is an upscale all-electric model likely to carry a much higher price than either of the two models canceled. That could signal Land Rover following corporate cousin Jaguar into a move up the ladder, seeking only wealthier buyers and abandoning competition with more full-line luxury brands.
What it means for car shoppers: The Velar and Evoque should remain on sale for all of this year and much of the next. The spokesperson tells KBB that the SUVs “will continue to be sold in selected global markets where demand remains strong, throughout 2027.”
But both have been slow sellers in the U.S. In September, Land Rover sold just 368 Velars and 302 Evoques – about 9% of the brand’s total sales.
Dealers today still have more than 150 days’ worth of inventory of each in stock – more than double their traditional target. Sales tend to slow after news of a model’s cancellation. Dealers may find themselves anxious to sell off the last of their stock, and more open to price negotiations than normal.
