Smaller, electrified Land Rover Defender to launch in 2027

Jet Sanchez
  • Sign in required

    Please sign in to your account to add a vehicle to favourite

  • Share this article

A more compact Land Rover Defender is officially in the works, according to Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) CEO Adrian Mardell. Autocar reports that the new model will be available only as an electric vehicle (EV), riding on the British automaker's new EMA platform.

The new model will likely go by Defender Sport, following JLR's proclivity to attach the "Sport" name to vehicles like Range Rover Sport and Discovery Sport.

While details for this electric Defender remain scarce, we know that JLR plans on christening the EMA architecture in 2025 with a Range Rover, likely a battery-electric version of Velar. An electric Evoque could also arrive that same year.

Meanwhile, an electrified version of Discovery Sport will follow in 2026, with Defender Sport likely set for 2027.

JLR models underpinned by EMA will feature an 800V charging architecture, presumably with a 350-kW peak charging rate. That will help put these models at par with most mass-produced EVs today.

Additionally, EMA battery packs will reportedly boast a higher energy density than the brand's current crop of EVs, allowing for more cabin space and increased ride height.

Defender Sport could become a high-volume model for JLR, especially if it carries a lower price tag than its bigger, ICE-powered sibling, which is likely. But it's currently unconfirmed which markets will get this and the other models JLR has in the pipeline.