► Could this be ‘the’ baby Defender?
► Coming in 2026/2027
► Direct competitor to the baby G
In 2023, JLR CEO Arian Mardell confirmed an electric baby Defender – and we may have just got our first look at it. These new pictures – snapped by our intrepid spy photographers – show a new off-road 4×4 which may well be a prototype for a smaller, electric-powered Defender.
What do we know?
As you’d expect details are thin on the ground, but CAR understands the new baby Defender will be called something along the lines of the Defender 80, or the Defender Sport. It’ll also run on the EMA electric platform that’ll soon power the Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover Discovery sport and the forthcoming Velar.
The EMA platform – like all other EV platforms – will major on cabin space in relation to wheelbase, but it’ll also be an 800-volt system, with charging speeds of up to 350kW.
Anything else?
The baby Defender should arrive towards the end of next year, and it’ll launch with a range of outdoor accessories, such as roof tents and carrier systems. When it does arrive, it’ll also face competition from an electric, Mercedes baby G-class – confirmed at the 2023 Munich motor show.
