Land Rover's Defender brand director Mark Cameron has confirmed that work on a smaller electric Defender is "well advanced", with the vehicle expected to launch in 2027 as the first EV in the Defender range, according to Autocar.
The new model - likely to be called the Defender Sport - will sit on JLR's EMA platform rather than an adapted version of the current Defender's D7x architecture. JLR's commercial chief Lennard Hoornik said earlier this year that the D7x simply can't accommodate the battery packaging an EV requires.
The EMA platform is designed from the outset for electric vehicles and uses an 800-volt architecture capable of 350 kW charging.
Cameron acknowledged that the switch to a skateboard platform with underfloor batteries creates compromises. "The size of the vehicle and platform will probably reduce wheel travel and articulation compared with a current Defender," he told Autocar.
The tension between EV efficiency and Defender's signature shape is part of the problem: "Given the silhouette of what most people would know a Defender to be - very upright, sharp window angles, a bluff rear end - the capability we have in our vehicles carries a penalty that works against you when you think about range." Whether buyers expecting Defender-grade off-road ability will accept that trade-off remains to be seen.
The vehicle is expected to measure just over 4.5 metres - smaller than the current Defender 90 - and will be built at JLR's Halewood plant alongside the upcoming electric Range Rover Evoque and Velar. Batteries will come from parent company Tata's new Somerset plant, scheduled to open in 2027.
JLR originally planned to launch six EVs by 2026. That has now slipped to four, with the Defender Sport expected to follow the electric Range Rover (due later this year) and Velar EV (early 2026). Cameron refused to confirm a specific launch date but said the company is maintaining full winter and summer test cycles rather than rushing to match Chinese rivals' development speeds. "We don't want to compromise on quality and longevity and all the things you have to deliver as a luxury brand," he said.
The Defender Sport will compete directly with Mercedes' upcoming "Little G" - a compact electric off-roader also due in 2027. Mercedes recently confirmed it will offer hybrid as well as pure-electric powertrains on its baby G-Class, a U-turn from its original EV-only plans. Cameron hinted JLR may take a similar approach, saying the company's strategy is to "offer as much choice for as long as we can" given what he called "the complexity of EV adoption".
Whether the Defender name can stretch to accommodate a smaller, less capable vehicle without diluting its identity is the question JLR will have to answer. Cameron's response: "There's no reason you can't go smaller, bigger, longer, higher and still cover those bases." The market will be the judge.
