Range Rover Velar Teased; Official Debut On March 1

British SUV-maker Range Rover has officially announced a new addition to their portfolio. Called the 'Velar’, the manufacturer says the SUV derives its name from the original prototypes of the Range Rover that dates back to 1969. "When development engineers needed to hide the true identity of the 26 pre-production Range Rovers, they chose the name Velar, derived from the Latin velare, meaning to veil or cover," read the press statement.  

The Velar will look at plugging the gap between the Evoque and the Sport. While the teaser image gives next to nothing away other than the massive panoramic sunroof and the LED taillamps, Range Rover has this to say: "Elegant simplicity, a visually reductive approach and pioneering consumer technology are the hallmarks of the new Range Rover Velar." 

That's unnecessarily cryptic, we know. But rumour has it that the Velar is nothing but an SUV with a coupe-like roofline - a trend the BMW X6 kicked off. It is supposedly based on the same platform as the Jaguar F-Pace we drove a couple of months ago, and is likely to borrow powertrains from it as well.  

There's clearly a lot of faith on the little one's shoulder. "We call the Velar the avant garde Range Rover. It brings a new dimension of glamour, modernity and elegance to the brand. The Range Rover Velar changes everything," says Gerry McGovern, Land Rover's design chief.  

The Velar will make its official debut on March 1, ahead of the Geneva Motor Show. We're sure it will make its way to India as well, soon after the brand officially launches the Land Rover Discovery 5.