Baby Land Rover Defender Sport Confirmed - Development Work Fast Paced

Land Rover is working on a new compact sized Defender SUV, which is rumoured to be called the Defender Sport. The project has been confirmed by Land Rover brand director Mark Cameron. Speaking to Autocar, Cameron confirmed that the smaller Defender is still on the way. He further said that development is “well advanced”. 

The big update is that the upcoming Baby Defender will be nearly as capable as its larger sibling.  It will be the second model in the newly established Defender sub-brand, which is set to form a series of off-road focused SUVs. Similar to the Range Rover family, each Defender will have its own design language and engineering. However, all different models will stay true to the Defender’s character. Cameron further added that the company is aiming to position Defender as a “luxury lifestyle brand.”

The baby Defender is likely to be based on JLR’s Electric Modular Architecture (EMA) platform, which will underpin future EV line-up. Not just Land Rover, Tata will also utilise this architecture to introduce its new AVINYA luxury EV brand. The electric Defender Sport is likely to come with a dual-motor setup, offering all-wheel drive system as standard. 

The new SUV is expected to measure around 4.5 meters in length. It will directly rival the Mercedes-Benz’s upcoming Baby G-Class, which has already been spotted testing multiple times. Land Rover reveals that the new compact model will remain true to the name, and will deliver genuine off-road capabilities. 

Source - AutoCar, Image Source