2022 Range Rover Sport caught in a winter wonderland

Production of the Range Rover Sport at Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull factory in the UK will be temporarily halted on selected days over a four-week period from late this month. Why? Demand for the luxury SUV has decreased in recent times, so there’s no other way for JLR but to press pause from time to time on the output to better match declining sales. The Tata Motors-owned automaker hopes the all-new Range Rover Sport will revitalise demand, but the next generation isn’t coming out anytime soon.

The second-generation model has been around for nearly seven years, so it comes as no surprise Land Rover was spotted recently testing its all-new Porsche Cayenne competitor. With camouflage all over the place, it’s hard to make out any details regarding the design of the luxury SUV, but we’re getting the sense it’s more evolutionary rather than revolutionary. It’s sending a bit of a Velar vibe and might be a tad boxier than before, but it’s better to wait and see other prototypes carrying less disguise.

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In our quest to learn more about the prototype, we ran the license plate through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), but the only piece of information revealed was about the date of first registration – October 2019. For what it’s worth, we’re noticing the test vehicle had a quad exhaust system and was equipped with winter tyres necessary to tackle the snowy roads of northern Europe. In typical Range Rover affair, the rear wiper was neatly concealed underneath the roof-mounted spoiler.

While the styling may or may not be all of the same, some massive changes will take place underneath the familiar skin. The third iteration of the Range Rover Sport will make the switch to JLR’s newly developed MLA platform, which will be inaugurated later this year with the fully electric XJ flagship saloon we spied about a month ago. The new architecture will usher in significant weight savings thanks to a generous use of aluminium, which should help with improving efficiency.

Speaking of which, the 2022 Range Rover Sport is going to be offered with a mild-hybrid straight-six setup as it is the case with the current model in HST guise, while an electrified four-cylinder mill could be in the works as well. Although not confirmed, some say the smaller powertrain will be sourced from BMW as a result of a tie-up between JLR and the Bavarians.

Have you seen the original batch of spy shots?

With so much camo on this prototype, it means it’ll take a while before Land Rover will take the wraps off the revamped Range Rover Sport. An official debut is likely to take place sometime in 2021.