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NEWSGOT A STORY Email our news editor will.rimell@haymarket.com Land Rover is gearing up to launch a longmooted and highly anticipated smaller entrylevel Defender as a crucial new model in its electric SUV portfolio. The rugged, compact 4x4 is rumoured to have been on the cards for several years but has never of fic ial ly appeared in JLR’s product roadmap presentations. But Autocar spy photographers have spotted the model testing for the first time, confirming development is well under way and indicating it could arrive in dealerships as soon as 2027. These first images reveal it will have a close visual relationship with its full-sized namesake in its chunky, straight-edged proportions, but it will be a smaller, lower-riding proposition and less geared towards offroad performance. Approached by Autocar for comment on the new images, a JLR spokesperson said: “JLR does not comment on future product programmes or speculation.” Although the company declined to talk about the new model, the name Defender Sport appears to have been added to the Land Rover website, albeit only viewable from a search engine. This moniker would make sense because the Sport nameplate has been used to signify JLR’s more road-focused versions, such as the Discovery Sport and Range Rover Sport. It ’s also feasible that the ‘Defender Sport’ could replace the ageing Discovery Sport model line, given the apparent shared positions of both vehicles and the questions over the Discovery Sport’s future. Now sold as a plug-in hybrid only, the Discovery Sport is the oldest model in JLR’s stable, having arrived in 2014 and been given a substantial facelift in 2019. Sales were originally strong following its launch but they have dropped off since the Covid pandemic and a second-generation model has yet to be confirmed. Autocar has been told that work is currently ongoing to reinvent the full-sized Discovery range and position it away from the more successful – and therefore cannibalising – Defender line-up. However, nothing has been announced about the future of the Discovery Sport. Given the baby Defender’s apparent chunky proportions and off-road pedigree, it could even be positioned to pick up where the popular Freelander (not to be confused with the new JLR-Chery joint-venture Freelander EVs set to be made in China) left off after the Freelander 2 was replaced in the line-up by the Discovery Sport. Indeed, with ‘Defender Sport’, JLR has a soughtafter nameplate because the Defender badge has been a global hit since its luxury repositioning in 2020. Applying the name to its new entry-level model would help it appeal to a wider group of buyers. The current Defender range starts at £57,000, and more than 114,000 were sold in 2024. Priced at significantly less than the full-size Defender but with a comparable set of attributes and a tangible BABY DEFENDER EV TO GUN FOR MERCEDES LITTLE G Land Rover’s new entry-level electric 4x4 looks on course for a 2027 launch 4 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 16 APRIL 2025
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“The ‘Defender Sport’ has the potential to become a volume player globally” familial link, the ‘Defender Sport’ has the potential to quickly become a volume player for JLR globally. The timing of the car’s arrival also makes sense because Mercedes-Benz is readying a new entrylevel compact SUV based on the Defender’s G-Class rival, known internally at Mercedes as the ‘Little G’. The ‘Defender Sport’ will be a sibling to the next-generation Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Velar – the latter is expected to arrive fi rst – and all three will use the company’s new EMA platform. These models will be built at JLR’s Halewood plant on Merseyside, which is currently undergoing a £500 million upgrade to prepare it to produce EVs. Electric power is the primary focus of the 800V platform, with motors to be built in-house and batteries to come from the forthcoming Somerset plant of JLR parent Tata. However, JLR announced last year that it was scaling back EV plans and instead ramping up production of plug-in hybrids after “surprising” demand, which means the EMA-based cars could possibly be fi t ted with electrified combustion drivetrains to boost appeal. The ‘Defender Sport’ will be much more compact in all dimensions than the current combustionengined L663-generation Defender model. Today’s full-sized Defenders use a variation of the D7 platform, which also underpins the Discovery, but the promised electric variant, due in around 2026, will adopt the MLA platform that sits beneath both the ICE and upcoming EV versions of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. WHAT THE ‘DEFENDER SPORT’ MUST BEAT The ‘Defender Sport’ will be a similar size to its platform siblings. It is likely to measure around 4.6m long and 2.0m wide and stand at less than 1.8m tall, which are similar dimensions to the Dacia Bigster and Skoda Kodiaq. FELIX PAGE AND WILL RIMELL TOYOTA COMPACT CRUISER Toyota wants to expand and electrify the Land Cruiser range. This squat, rugged family SUV is fi rst . MERCEDES ‘LITTLE G’ Electric junior 4x4 will be a cut-price, downsized G-Class based on the next GLC, designed to attract a wider audience. JEEP RECON Positioned as an electric counterpart to the legendary Wrangler, this hardcore 4x4 is due to arrive in 2026. N E W S SPY SHOTS ‘Defender Sport’ EV will be underpinned by the 800V EMA architecture IMAGE First images of the compact ‘Defender Sport’ show strong visual links with today’s full-sized Defender 16 APRIL 2025 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 5

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NEWSGOT A STORY Email our news editor will.rimell@haymarket.com

Land Rover is gearing up to launch a longmooted and highly anticipated smaller entrylevel Defender as a crucial new model in its electric SUV portfolio.

The rugged, compact 4x4 is rumoured to have been on the cards for several years but has never of fic ial ly appeared in JLR’s product roadmap presentations.

But Autocar spy photographers have spotted the model testing for the first time, confirming development is well under way and indicating it could arrive in dealerships as soon as 2027.

These first images reveal it will have a close visual relationship with its full-sized namesake in its chunky, straight-edged proportions, but it will be a smaller, lower-riding proposition and less geared towards offroad performance.

Approached by Autocar for comment on the new images, a JLR spokesperson said: “JLR does not comment on future product programmes or speculation.”

Although the company declined to talk about the new model, the name Defender Sport appears to have been added to the Land Rover website, albeit only viewable from a search engine. This moniker would make sense because the Sport nameplate has been used to signify JLR’s more road-focused versions, such as the Discovery Sport and Range Rover Sport.

It ’s also feasible that the ‘Defender Sport’ could replace the ageing Discovery Sport model line, given the apparent shared positions of both vehicles and the questions over the Discovery Sport’s future.

Now sold as a plug-in hybrid only, the Discovery Sport is the oldest model in JLR’s stable, having arrived in 2014 and been given a substantial facelift in 2019. Sales were originally strong following its launch but they have dropped off since the Covid pandemic and a second-generation model has yet to be confirmed.

Autocar has been told that work is currently ongoing to reinvent the full-sized Discovery range and position it away from the more successful – and therefore cannibalising – Defender line-up. However, nothing has been announced about the future of the Discovery Sport.

Given the baby Defender’s apparent chunky proportions and off-road pedigree, it could even be positioned to pick up where the popular Freelander (not to be confused with the new JLR-Chery joint-venture Freelander EVs set to be made in China) left off after the Freelander 2 was replaced in the line-up by the Discovery Sport.

Indeed, with ‘Defender Sport’, JLR has a soughtafter nameplate because the Defender badge has been a global hit since its luxury repositioning in 2020. Applying the name to its new entry-level model would help it appeal to a wider group of buyers. The current Defender range starts at £57,000, and more than 114,000 were sold in 2024.

Priced at significantly less than the full-size Defender but with a comparable set of attributes and a tangible

BABY DEFENDER EV TO GUN FOR MERCEDES LITTLE G Land Rover’s new entry-level electric 4x4 looks on course for a 2027 launch

4 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 16 APRIL 2025

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