Land Rover poised to cash in on truck fever

Land Rover, the industry's only brand dedicated solely to building premium SUVs and crossovers, appears to be poised for significant growth in the next few years. The new Defender is shaping up to be a hit, the reengineered Range Rover Evoque is off to a strong start, and the next- generation Range Rover is on the way. Electrified powertrains are starting to proliferate throughout the lineup.

Discovery Sport: Freshened for 2020, no major changes are expected for the all-wheel-drive midsize crossover until a reengineering in 2023. The mild-hybrid powertrain could be upgraded to a plug-in version.

Discovery: The Discovery is expected to get a mild freshening next year with a new grille, headlights and taillights and a new infotainment system. Hybrid models of the seven-seat SUV are already on sale in Europe and, depending on fuel prices, could be exported to North America. A reengineered Disco arrives in late 2023.

Defender: With the factory racing to meet burgeoning global demand — Land Rover is working to fill more than 20,000 customer orders for the rugged off-road vehicle — variants for North America may be a way off. For now, the five-door Defender 110 is available; the three-door Defender 90 is expected in the first quarter of 2021. In Europe, a family of Defenders is planned, with stripped-down commercial versions aimed at business owners. It's unclear whether those models, available on the three- and five-door, will be sold in North America. A freshening could be on tap in 2024.

Range Rover Evoque: The reengineered 2020 compact crossover is on sale now. A freshening is expected in early 2024. A plug-in version is available in Europe, but low fuel prices have nixed any plans — for now — to introduce it in North America.

Range Rover Velar: It could be one and done for the most road-friendly Range Rover yet, which debuted in 2017. A freshening could be on tap in 2021. But it is not clear where the midsize crossover fits with updated versions of the Range Rover Sport and Range Rover coming and a road-friendly Road Rover on the way.

Road Rover: An awd, carlike electric vehicle that uses Jaguar Land Rover's MLA architecture could be introduced sometime next year, with sales starting in 2022. The vehicle, possibly a tall wagon or a beefy, five-door hatchback in the vein of the classic Rover SD1, would not be aimed at off-road enthusiasts.

Range Rover Sport: A reengineered model, sporting a twin-turbo inline-six, could be revealed next year, with sales starting in early 2022.

Range Rover: The current Range Rover large SUV, introduced in 2013, is coasting toward retirement. The next-gen replacement, which could be shown to the press late next year and would go on sale in 2022, is expected to move far upmarket and go tire-to-tire with Bentley and other six-figure SUVs. In addition to an even more tech-laden interior with a big menu of opulent materials available for order, performance and fuel economy are likely to increase. The Range Rover is very likely to use BMW engines and offer a hybrid system engineered by both BMW and JLR engineers.

The redesigned Range Rover moves to JLR's lightweight aluminum MLA underpinnings. Full-electric and hybrid models are expected. Extraordinary off-road capability, a feature of every Range Rover since the first one in 1970, will be a key feature of the fifth-gen model. Range Rover started the luxury SUV segment 50 years ago and is now facing the toughest competition it has ever seen.