Baby Land Rover Defender Sport EV in the works

Work is well underway on the development of an all-new baby battery-electric Land Rover Defender 4x4 that will provide a new entry point to the British off-road brand’s line-up when it arrives in 2027.

According to Autocar, the smaller, more affordable fourth model line has been on the cards for “several years” but has now been greenlit behind the scenes.

It is potentially being developed under the Defender Sport name, mirroring the positioning of the entry Discovery Sport.

The small 4x4 will draw heavily from the current Defender’s styling and will be based on JLR’s all-new EMA electric car platform that is already destined to be used for the incoming Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport.

That means there will be no combustion-powered Defender Sport.

Confirming that the new zero-emissions 4x4 will be based on the EMA, JLR CEO Adrian Mardell told investors on a recent call that “Range Rover, Defender and Discovery brands will come off that platform [EMA]”.

It’s tipped the small Defender will measure in at around 4.6m long, 2m wide and stand at less than 2m tall. That would make it around 280mm longer than a Defender 90, the same width but around 150mm lower.

It’s thought there could also be a shorter small-wheelbase version too.

Mardell confirmed all three new EVs will be built at the car-maker’s Halewood factory.

As well as the shrunken version of the Defender, a full-size version of the SUV wearing the iconic nameplate will also be introduced in 2026.

Despite sharing the same looks as the L663 combustion-powered Defender, the large electric version will be all-new and based on the same MLA architecture as the incoming all-electric Range Rover.

Once launched, the EMA-based Defender will come with an 800-volt electrical architecture that will allow the SUV to be charged at more than 350kW. As a result, a 20-80 per cent top-up might only take around 15 minutes.

Future JLR batteries will also bring weight savings as they will be more energy dense than today’s packs.

The new batteries will also be slimmer and more compact to maximise space inside and allow greater ground clearance for plenty of off-road ability.

Speaking of its off-road prowess, it’s thought the smallest member of the new Defender family will be equally capable in the dirt as its bigger brothers, with engineers likely to ensure a wading depth of up to 850mm and similar approach and departure angles as the petrol or diesel-powered SUV.

There’s no word yet when Land Rover will begin teasing the latest member of the Defender family, but a concept could be previewed as soon as next year that will hint heavily at the production model being developed in secret.

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