JLR taps the brakes again on Range Rover Electric and Jaguar EVs

For the more than 60,000 people who put their names down for the first-ever all-electric Range Rover, the wait just got a little longer. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has confirmed it is delaying the launch of its highly anticipated Range Rover Electric, pushing its arrival into next year. The company is also rescheduling the debut of its next-generation electric cars for the Jaguar brand, in a major strategy shift.

The electric Range Rover, which was first planned for a 2024 launch before being nudged to the end of this year, will now not reach showrooms until next year. According to JLR, this delay gives them more time for testing and development. The automaker's CEO, Adrian Mardell, said: "We're not going to rush that transition, we are going to nail it."

This cautious approach extends across JLR's entire electric vehicle portfolio. The ambitious plan to relaunch Jaguar as a super-luxe, all-electric brand is also being adjusted. The first of the new Jaguars, previewed by a concept called the "Type 00," was planned for a late summer 2026 release. That has now been pushed to August 2026, with a second electric Jaguar model scheduled to follow in December 2027.

Other future electric cars are also being re-evaluated. A smaller electric Range Rover, believed to be a replacement for the Velar, might be delayed past its expected April 2026 date. The all-electric Defender Sport is not expected to arrive until at least the first quarter of 2027.

The decision to postpone these electric cars comes at a difficult time for JLR. The company has warned that new tariffs on cars imported into the United States, its largest market, will hurt profits. A weaker US dollar also makes its vehicles more expensive for American buyers. At the same time, sales in China have slowed as local consumers increasingly favor homegrown luxury car brands over Western ones. Against this backdrop, JLR recently announced it is cutting 500 management positions to streamline its operations.

The official reason for the delay - waiting for EV demand to pick up - sends a mixed message. The broader market for expensive electric cars may be showing signs of cooling, but JLR has a confirmed waiting list of over 60,000 customers for the Range Rover Electric. This is a serious number of buyers who are ready and willing to purchase the luxury electric SUV today. Delaying a vehicle with such a strong order bank seems to contradict the idea of waiting for more customers to show up.

Via