The Land Rover Defender line-up is set to expand with the long-rumoured ‘baby Defender’ as an all-electric 4x4 in 2027. Reports of the compact 4x4 have been doing rounds for a couple of years now, and a recent sighting of a camouflaged test mule by our sister publication Autocar UK finally gave us visual proof that the smaller Defender is indeed under development, and it is expected to arrive in 2027.
- Smaller Defender EV to be underpinned by JLR’s EMA platform
- It could be named Defender Sport and replace the existing Discovery Sport
- The SUV will rival the upcoming smaller electric G-Wagon
Smaller Defender will be an electric 4x4
Will use 800V EMA architecture
The model spied overseas resembled the larger Defender very closely – it had the same upright stance and squared-off proportions but was visibly smaller and low-slung. It will also be an all-electric model, likely less geared towards off-roading. In terms of dimensions, it is expected to be about 4.6 meters long, 2 meters wide and less than 1.8 meters tall.
As such, the smaller Defender will be based on JLR’s EMA platform, which will also be shared with the next-generation electric Range Rover Evoque and Velar SUVs. All the models will use an 800V architecture with motors built in-house.
Will retain rugged, go-anywhere capabilities
It is a possibility that the EMA-based SUVs will also likely be offered with hybrid powertrains, as last year, the company announced scaling back of EV plans and ramping up production of plug-in hybrid models given the increased demand for the latter. What one can expect for sure is that even the smallest member of the Defender family will retain the rugged, go-anywhere ethos that is the hallmark of the Defender range.
Could be called the Defender Sport
Although unconfirmed, the smaller Defender could adopt the ‘Defender Sport’ nameplate. The moniker would also be apt for the road-going SUV as historically, the ‘Sport’ badge has been used on more road-focused versions of JLR’s SUVs – take the Discovery and Discovery Sport, for example.
Smaller Defender could replace existing Discovery Sport
Discovery Sport is now an ageing product
Speaking of which, the smaller Defender could very likely replace the ageing Discovery Sport in JLR’s line-up, given the relatively similar positioning of both SUVs. Sales of the Discovery Sport have also dwindled in recent years.
Our sister publication, Autocar UK, understands that the company is already working on the full-size next-generation Discovery SUV. However, the future of the Discovery Sport is still uncertain, and a generational update is yet to be confirmed. Besides, the full-size Discovery will also be veering more towards luxury in order to prevent cannibalisation with the Defender line-up.
Will rival the upcoming smaller electric G-Wagon
The new electric baby Defender is expected to arrive in 2027. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz is also readying a more compact version of its own G-Class, known internally at Mercedes as the ‘Little G’.
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