When Ferrari unveiled plans to sell an SUV a few years ago, the automotive world was aghast.

Now Range Rover is set to raise eyebrows in a similar fashion by doing the opposite: steering away from its 4x4 roots to launch its first conventional saloon-like car.

It marks the first time in Range Rover's near-60-year history that it will sell a vehicle that isn't a jacked-up SUV.

The electric GT has been confirmed as the newest member of the Range Rover family and will sit alongside the flagship full-fat Range Rover, as well as the Sport, Velar and Evoque models.

As you can see from the striking images, it doesn't have the generous ground clearance typically associated with vehicles produced by the British marque.

The GT's svelte body is also a bold deviation from Range Rover convention. In fact, it looks like a Range Rover Sport that's had a grand piano dropped onto it from a great height.

It will be offered as standard with a four-seat cabin, which showcases a shift towards a more minimalist design ethos, with dashboard and centre-console buttons largely eliminated.

Given its expansive dimensions, grand-touring characteristics, 'reductive' design and electric drivetrain, the new Range Rover appears destined to tread on the toes of sister brand Jaguar's £120,000 Type 01.

Range Rover's 'most car-like' model ever: The new electric Range Rover GT will become the fifth vehicle in the brand's range and the first with saloon-like proportions and a lower than typical ride height

As part of JLR's 2023 'House of Brands' reshuffle, Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar have each adopted their own distinct identities aimed at appealing to different customers.

With the original two-door Range Rover Classic debuting in 1970, the GT will be the first model to significantly depart from the brand's tried-and-tested SUV heritage in its 56-year history.

Revealing the heavily camouflaged model, which is said to be similar in length to the current Range Rover Sport, the company described it as a 'captivating new expression of Range Rover'.

The design was penned by now-departed design boss, Jerry McGovern, whoselong-rumoured exit from JLR was officially confirmed in March having spent 21 years at the British carmaker.

The GT's sylphlike body should provide a marked improvement in aerodynamic performance over all other models in the brand's SUV line-up, which should translate to increased driving range as well as more dynamic handling and all-round performance.

It is also claimed to be the 'quietest Range Rover ever'.

It will be the first all-electric Range Rover to use the company's EMA (Electrified Modular Architecture) platform; a highly adaptable architecture created primarily for its mid-size premium vehicles.

This differs from the MLA (Modular Longitudinal Architecture) platform underpinning the forthcoming Range Rover Electric and Range Rover Sport Electric.

Both architectures are designed to accommodate a variety of powertrains, including battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, self-charging hybrid, petrol and diesel.

It will also differ from the JEA (Jaguar Electrified Architecture), which will underpin the forthcoming EV-only models produced by its sister brand.

In full-EV derivative, all three platforms use an 800V electrical system with ultra-fast-charging capacity.

The GT's sylphlike body should provide a marked improvement in aerodynamic performance - anf therefore longer range - over other forthcoming EV offerings in the brand's line-up

While the Range Rover GT (left) and Jaguar's Type 01 GT (right) are proportionally different and underpinned by unique platforms, they're likely to be competing in the same luxury segment

The GT will be manufactured at JLR's Halewood factory in Merseyside.

It will initially be available only as a battery-electric vehicle, according to company bosses.

However, there is sufficient flexibility within the platform to introduce a full hybrid version later in the model's lifecycle, the company said.

Martin Limpert, managing director of Range Rover, said it will be the 'most car-like' Range Rover ever.

'The Range Rover GT will redefine the grand-touring segment with the ability to deliver beautiful and engaging GT poise, proportions and long-distance refinement while offering capabilities no conventional GT can match,' he said.

'We have spent the last few years working obsessively on the fundamentals of the GT formula, reinterpreted in a sophisticated, uniquely Range Rover way.

'The result is the most car-like, yet unmistakably capable, Range Rover ever created, now possible on our electrified EMA architecture - complementing our existing powertrain portfolio to deliver a complete set of options for every customer need.

'Its blend of effortless EV performance, first-class long-haul refinement and all-terrain capability is pure Range Rover, while its calming interior previews our vision of a modern grand tourer.'

What's it like inside?

While much of the exterior remains under wraps, we have been given early access to the interior design.

Range Rover says the GT cabin is 'shaped by the same reductive principles' that define its exterior proportions. These are: purity, precision and quiet modernity.

In contrast to rivals like Mercedes-Benz, which in recent years have adopted a 'more is more' approach to interior displays, Range Rover has pared everything back to a modest-sized single infotainment screen.

That said, the OLED display delivers screen clarity that's comparable with the latest expensive home-cinema setups.

It is paired with a head-up display that replaces the traditional instrument cluster behind the steering wheel as standard on all versions, further reinforcing the minimalist design direction.

Matt Eyes, GT programme chief, said the two displays will never show duplicate information, ensuring drivers receive clear instructions at all times to help limit distraction.

Range Rover says the GT cabin is 'shaped by the same reductive principles' that define its exterior proportions: purity, precision and quiet modernity

Daily Mail motoring editor Rob Hull pictured at the wheel of a Jaguar Type 01 prototype earlier this year. As you can see, the steering wheel design is very similar to that of Range Rover GT

The main central display sits within a new concealed air vent spanning the width of the cabin, creating a horizontal strikethrough design signature.

The top section of the dashboard is a flush panel covered in a woven textile material that stretches across the fascia in a 'single, cohesive gesture'.

This conceals the hardware for the upper-cockpit speakers beneath the surface as well as the front passenger airbag that deploys through it.

Alex Watkin, chief designer for Range Rover interiors, explained that the design ethos was 'lighter and highly modern'. The GT cabin is intended to 'evoke the extension of a luxury home', he added.

Range Rover has also taken the increasingly common - though polarising - step of stripping away almost all the physical control buttons, with most functions operated through the infotainment system and steering wheel switches.

As the teaser images show, the landscape-orientated central display has a fixed taskbar running across the bottom that appears to permanently provide controls to the main cabin temperature adjustments.

It too provides access to the exterior parking camera system, windscreen demister settings and phone menu.

But as the Range Rover-provided pictures leak, there are individual menus for the full cabin temperature settings, as well as the navigation system.

The main central display sits within a concealed air vent spanning the width of the cabin, creating a clean horizontal design feature

Alex Watkin, chief designer for Range Rover interiors, explained that the design ethos is 'lighter and highly modern', intended to 'evoke the extension of a luxury home'

Having already driven a Jaguar Type 01 prototype, Daily Mail and This is Money can confirm that the Range Rover's steering wheel and switchgear - including the drive selector stalk - are extremely similar.

Watkin said physical buttons have only been retained where they 'enhance tactility or safety'. As such, the hazard-warning-light button is positioned in an overhead panel, while the rest of the dashboard is entirely free of switches or toggles.

There is also no rotary dial or bank of hard buttons in the centre console, despite these being familiar features in current Range Rover models.

Dividing the two front seats is a bridged centre console stretching from the dashboard to the seat backrests.

The upper section has a sliding panel that reveals a charging pad beneath. Further back, there's a large refrigerated storage compartment under the armrest.

Beneath the bridge is an additional storage and charging area large enough to accommodate an iPad, as well as two cupholders.

Even the seats themselves are incredibly minimalist, with expansive panels and a new stretch material covering them that is said to be extremely durable and hard-wearing

The Range Rover GT will be available in this four-seat setup, though customers will be able to order one with a five-seat layout if desired

Unlike the Jaguar Type 01, which features a centre spine running through the entire cabin, the Range Rover GT has a split layout separating the front and rear compartments.

The four-seat configuration includes a mirrored rear console housing a touchscreen for seat and climate controls, along with a fold-down armrest.

However, a five-seat version will also be offered, and should not attract a premium given that it removes the rear touchscreen arrangement.

Overhead is the largest panoramic roof ever fitted to a Range Rover model.

It comes as standard and provides an additional 33mm of headroom for the two outer rear passengers, helping to ensure the coupe-like roofline doesn't compromise comfort for taller occupants.

The cabin shots also show a conventional rear-view mirror, suggestive that the GT will have a glass rear window rather than relying entirely on cameras to see out the back.

'Every element has been considered to create a sanctuary of calm, with a focus on reduced visual and acoustic noise and natural conversational access to more vehicle functions than ever before,' the company told us.

When will we find out more information?

Range Rover executives said prototype vehicles are currently undertaking their final phase of on-road testing.

However, they will remain hidden from prying eyes using the bespoke camouflage wrap seen in the exterior pictures we've published. This is said to be inspired by the 'landscape around JLR's Gaydon headquarters'.

The company remains extremely tight lipped regarding the performance profile of the GT, including its battery capacity, range, acceleration figures and - most importantly - price. 

With it competing against rivals with the capability to go for more than 500 miles between charges, it will at least require a battery pack in excess of 100kW if it is to be competitive on range.

It too will undoubtedly use an all-wheel-drive setup to be capable of the serious off-roading required of any vehicle that carries the Range Rover badge, which ultimately could see it using height-adjustable suspension to provide the necessary ground clearance required away from the beaten track.

This too explains why it has much shorter overhangs front and rear than the Jaguar GT to provide a better approach and departure angle when tackling slopes.

More details are due to be released before the end of the calendar year, we have been promised, ahead of what is destined to be an extremely busy period for JLR.

This includes the full unveiling of the Range Rover Electric and Range Rover Sport Electric in the coming weeks, closely followed by the highly anticipated - and contentious - reveal of the Jaguar Type 01 in the US in October.

Given Jaguar's bold all-electric future, and the debut of its own expensive all-wheel-drive flagship grand tourer, the emergence of a Range Rover GT suggests the two brands may find themselves competing more directly than ever before.