Defender India production faces hurdles

With the recent success of the locally assembled Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, JLR is looking into the possibility of also locally producing the Defender in India. Speaking to Autocar India in the UK, Martin Limpert, Global MD for Range Rover, said, “Defender is a big volume car, very successful for us in the Indian market, so yes, it's natural for us to look into that (local production). We wouldn’t exclude it.”

1. Defender was JLR’s highest-selling model in India in FY2025
2. JLR already locally assembles Range Rover and Range Rover Sport

Indeed, in FY25, JLR India reported its highest annual sales, with retail volumes of 6,183 units, marking a 40 percent year-on-year increase, putting it in third place in the Indian luxury market. And while the company did not disclose individual model numbers, it did state that the Defender was its largest seller.

Given that the brand saw a 2.5-times increase in sales post local assembly of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, locally producing its biggest seller, the Defender, is a no-brainer. However, there are factors that still need to be addressed.

Defender local production challenges

For one, with the new-generation Defender, JLR moved the model’s entire production out of Solihull in the UK to a brand-new facility in Nitra, Slovakia. Currently, the Nitra plant lacks the facilities to build and dispatch CKD kits, which are necessary for locally producing the Defender here. However, even if this were to be addressed, the current trade agreement discussions between the Indian government and European nations would still need to be examined to work out the best business case for the Defender in India. Thus, while there exist sufficient volumes to make the iconic off-roader here in India, it is still some time away. 

JLR India production plans

Tata Motors-owned JLR is actively working on increasing its local production in India, and the two are in the process of setting up a joint production facility in Tamil Nadu. While the company is non-committal on the products to be assembled, at a media round table, Tata Motors’ group CFO, PB Balaji, said, “As far as the Tamil Nadu plant is concerned for JLR, we are starting with the CKD operations,” adding that this location would be a key part of Tata Motor’s product plans, too. Currently, the company locally produces the Evoque, Velar, Discovery Sport, Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.