Land Rover is gearing up to launch a long-mooted and highly anticipated smaller, entry-level Defender as a crucial new model in its electric car portfolio.
The rugged, compact 4×4 is rumoured to have been on the cards for several years but has never officially appeared in JLR’s product roadmap presentations.
But Autocar spy photographers have now spotted the model testing, confirming development is well under way and indicating it could arrive in dealerships as soon as 2027.
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 off-road performance.
Although JLR previously declined to comment on the new model, the name ‘Defender Sport’ was briefly added to the Land Rover website, albeit only viewable from a search engine.
The Sport suffix has previously been used to signify JLR’s more road-focused versions, such as the Discovery Sport and Range Rover Sport.
It’s also possible that the new Defender model could be distinguished not in name but in number, with a designation such as ’80’ postioning it below the full-sized model, which is sold in 90, 110 and 130 bodystyles.
The baby Defender may replace the ageing Discovery Sport, 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.