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Jaguar Land Rover no longer consists of simply Jaguar and Land Rover, amid a major rebranding that involves the latter name being spun off into three separate brands: Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover. But don't worry, the legendary Land Rover name isn't being dropped completely, as it will now be used as a general term to represent JLR's division of capable, off-road-oriented vehicles.
Also, now that the British company oversees four different brands, it has been formally renamed to just JLR. The introduction of what JLR calls the 'House of Brands' also comes with the reinvention of the struggling Jaguar brand and major efforts to reach the company's goal of becoming EV-only by 2036.
Jaguar Moves Up The Luxury Ladder
Let's admit it: Jaguar's attempts to gain more profit with a lineup of luxury crossovers didn't work. In fact, introducing more volume models may have hurt the British brand more than it has helped. Land Rover, which makes nothing but iconic SUVs, simply sells more of them and has much more brand recognition despite sharing many components with Jaguar.
Jaguar plans to climb out of that deep hole it dug by aiming for higher targets. That means lower volume, much more upscale vehicles, along with higher price tags. In the past, the brand was known for making beautiful sedans and coupes, and it will attempt to distance itself from Land Rover by going back to building exactly those types of vehicles. The first vehicle to signal Jaguar's move upmarket will be an all-electric, four door GT with up to 430 miles of range. Starting price? Just over $120,000.
The new model will also be the first to use the JEA architecture––an all-new, Jaguar-exclusive EV platform that the reshuffled Range Rover, Defender, and Discovery brands won't have access to. Since the JEA is said to launch in 2025, we expect Jaguar's four-door GT to surface around that time.
Land Rover Gives Way To Defender, Discovery, Range Rover
Land Rover is an iconic name, associated with undeniably capable SUVs that double as luxury barges. While the brand has seen much more success than its sibling Jaguar, JLR saw it fit to reduce buyer confusion and spin it off into Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover. Land Rover already treats those names as subbrands, but they will now be marketed as separate brands on the same level as Jaguar. JLR assured us that the Land Rover moniker will stick around to generalize the company's off-road sector, though it's been retired as an actual brand.
All three brands will maintain use of the MLA architecture already seen on the latest Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. The platform is very flexible, and is compatible with ICE, hybrid, or full EV powertrains. This will help the remains of Land Rover slowly transition to a fully electric lineup, dragging slightly behind Jaguar and its JEA platform in offering nothing but full EVs.
As far as the separate Range Rover brand is concerned, we're glad to see the Land Rover part go. After all, 'Land Rover Range Rover Sport' was a mouthful, and buyers were always more likely to call these vehicles Range Rovers as opposed to Land Rovers. As its own brand, it will still produce the flagship Range Rover, as well as the Sport, Velar, and Evoque, positioned slightly higher on the luxury scale than the Defender and Discovery. JLR also confirmed that an electric Range Rover is on the way, with order books for it opening at the end of the year.
Just like Range Rover, the Defender brand will continue doing what it does. That means capable off-roaders with a tinge of luxury. We already have the two- and four-door Defender 90 and 110, repectively, alongside the newly-launched Defender 130 three-row. Until the Defender brand transitions to electric power, we're not sure if we'll see any new variations of the name. But if we do, we're hoping a pickup version is in the playbook.
With the posh Range Rover and capable Defender, the Discovery name always struggled to find its middle ground. Now that it's a separate brand, there's much more breathing room. JLR didn't specify any future plans for this brand, but we expect Discovery to be positioned as a more road-going version of the Defender. Think more capability than a Range Rover, but more comfort than a Defender.
Do you think the rebrand will be enough to save Jaguar while improving Land Rover?
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