Land Rover has taken a unique approach to address the underwhelming sales of the Range Rover Velar SUV. Due to its relatively low sales figures, the vehicle has been converted into an electric car.
Originally, this British SUV, also available in Indonesia, featured a four-cylinder engine with a 2.0-liter capacity, along with a turbocharger. This engine could generate a remarkable 296 horsepower.
With its enticing performance and stylish appearance, the vehicle should have been an easy sell. However, the sales of the Range Rover Velar have been disappointingly low.
In Indonesia, one notable political figure who owns this car is the Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Johnny G Plate, who is currently detained by the Attorney General’s Office on corruption charges. Johnny G Plate’s Range Rover Velar has also been confiscated by the Attorney General’s Office.
The poor sales prompted Land Rover to brainstorm for solutions. Since its launch in 2021, the vehicle has only managed to sell 29,845 units worldwide, according to Autocar.
However, Land Rover did not want to abandon the vehicle completely. Instead, they came up with the idea of transforming the Range Rover Velar’s engine into an electric powertrain with batteries and electric motors.
“To carry out this transformation, Land Rover will replace the existing D7 architecture in the old Range Rover Velar with a new platform called EMA,” mentioned Autocar on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
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Land Rover’s Electrified Modular Architecture, or EMA, is specifically designed for the development of electric vehicles. The Range Rover Velar will become their first SUV to be converted into an electric car using the EMA platform.
Land Rover even guarantees that this transformation will make the Range Rover Velar more appealing than ever before. The electric vehicle’s batteries will be capable of producing up to 350 horsepower, significantly surpassing the conventional engine of the Range Rover Velar.
Autocar suggests that the changes made to the Range Rover Velar will become a significant moment for Land Rover. This is because the legendary British car manufacturer is currently restructuring its brand into four core families: Jaguar, Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover.
Each of these families is expected to have distinct characteristics and target different consumer segments. Additionally, Land Rover aims to eliminate any confusion in naming, as there were previously similarities between Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover models.