• Land Rover is reportedly planning a smaller, all-electric Defender within the next five years or so.
Land Rover's model classification is sometimes difficult to follow, especially since the styling of its models tends to be fairly homogeneous. The arrival of the distinctive-looking Defender in recent years has given the brand’s lineup more variety, however. The redesigned new Range Rover entered the picture last year, helping things further.
Globally, Land Rover is evidently moving towards greater differentiation between the three product families the company produces: Defender, Discovery and Range Rover.
The Defender range currently features a model offered in two different wheelbases and three different lengths.
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It’s been assumed for some time that there will a smaller Defender model coming soon. A new report by Autocar claims the project has been greenlit by senior management. Quoting the company's top executive, Adrian Mardell, the publication adds that the as-yet-unnamed SUV will be based on the upcoming EMA (Electrified Modular Architecture) platform, designed and for electric vehicles. This is the same architecture planned for use with the next Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover Velar and Discovery Sport.
While all four will share certain components, they look very different from the outside, especially in the case of the smaller Defender, expected to adopt styling cues from its big brother. And considering the historic vocation of the Defender name, we can expect a small but rugged adventurer, capable of going far off the beaten track. A model like the Velar will undoubtedly have a more urban style.
That said, according to Autocar this future baby Defender should be more road-oriented than the current Defender. The oyutlet even reports the dimensions of the coming SUV: 181 inches in length, 79 inches in width and 71 inches in height. In comparison, the current Defender 110 is 197 inches in length, 83 in width and 77 in height.
Mechanically, we'll have to wait and see. The model is still in the early stages of development. However, we can expect an 800-volt architecture, 350 kW recharging capacity and more advanced battery technologies. Although, with technologies advancing as they currently are, and with the model still four years away, what it will ultimately run on is anyone’s guess.
If the future small Land Rover is offered on our continent, we can imagine a debut around 2027, as either a 2027 or 2028 model.
That's still a long way off, we agree, but this news gives an idea of Land Rover's electrification plans.