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Jaguar Land Rover confirms all-electric 'Baby Defender' to arrive next year

Source: IT之家 Published: Business & Funding 中文
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IT Home, Nov. 13: Autocar reported that evening that Jaguar Land Rover CEO PB Balaji confirmed the new entry-level SUV positioned below the current Defender will enter production in 2027, with an all-electric version first; widely called the 'Defender Sport,' it is the first official production timing announcement, will share the EMA platform with the Range Rover GT and offer EV and hybrid powertrains, though only the EV is due to be market-ready by late 2027. To free capacity for the Range Rover GT's production start early next year, Discovery Sport output will end in the coming weeks, and the Range Rover Evoque will gradually leave the line later next year, replaced by the new baby Defender; before a name is announced it is widely called Defender Sport, with Defender 80 another candidate, as Land Rover has used Sport to denote smaller models and the number would show it slots below Defender 90, 110 and 130. Under the 'brand house' strategy, Defender has been upgraded from a Land Rover model line to an independent brand alongside Range Rover and Discovery; the baby Defender is its first all-new model and first step in expanding the lineup, with 卡梅伦 aiming to make Defender a 'luxur

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Jaguar Land Rover Confirms: All-Electric "Baby Defender" to Arrive Next Year

IT Home, November 13 — According to a report by British media Autocar this evening (the 13th), Jaguar Land Rover CEO PB Balaji has confirmed that a new entry-level SUV positioned below the current Defender will enter production in 2027, with an all-electric version launching first. The new vehicle is widely referred to as the "Defender Sport," and this marks the first time Jaguar Land Rover has officially announced its production timeline.

The new "baby Defender" will share the EMA platform with the Range Rover GT, offering both all-electric and hybrid powertrain options. Balaji revealed that development of the hybrid version is progressing at full speed, but only the all-electric version is planned to be ready for market launch by the end of 2027.

To free up production capacity for the Range Rover GT, which enters production early next year, the Discovery Sport will cease production within the coming weeks. Balaji also confirmed that the Range Rover Evoque will be phased out of production later next year, replaced by the new baby Defender.

The report notes that before Jaguar Land Rover announces an official name, the new vehicle is widely called the "Defender Sport," because Land Rover has traditionally used the Sport suffix to distinguish smaller models. Another candidate name is "Defender 80," reflecting the new vehicle's positioning below the Defender 90, 110, and 130.

According to IT Home's understanding, Jaguar Land Rover is currently pursuing a "House of Brands" strategy, upgrading Defender from a model line under Land Rover to a standalone brand, alongside Range Rover and Discovery. The baby Defender is not only the first all-new model since the brand's independence but also the first step in expanding the Defender product lineup.

卡梅伦 hopes to build Defender into a "luxury lifestyle brand" and also revealed future product plans: "We have only one model now, offered in multiple variants, but I am planning the entire brand's product lineup for the next 7 to 10 years. We must ensure that all Defender products retain the brand DNA, with rugged durability and strong performance capable of conquering all kinds of terrain."

The Defender Sport is not an all-electric replacement for the current Defender 90, but a new product developed from scratch. To this end, Jaguar Land Rover adopted a platform specifically developed to prioritize the needs of all-electric vehicles, requiring a rethinking of the overall vehicle design.

The new vehicle is expected to measure slightly over 4.5m in length and use Jaguar Land Rover's EMA platform. The higher-end Range Rover and Defender models use the MLA platform, while Jaguar has its own independently developed JEA all-electric platform.

卡梅伦 pointed out that placing the battery at the bottom of the body limits overall vehicle design, and the new vehicle's dimensions and platform layout will likely mean suspension travel and wheel articulation fall short of the current Defender. As a result, the baby Defender's off-road capability cannot fully match that of the current Defender, though it is "still excellent."

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The translation is machine-generated and individual terms may be off. Nothing is rewritten or cut; the original is authoritative.

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