The new Defender Sport Electric is anticipated to launch next year

The Defender family will be soon getting an upgrade in terms of electric power as it is set to be launched with electric power and will have its debut next year. It will be further called Defender Sport and it will be the smallest Defender in the portfolio and the brand's first electric car. 

The new model was recently spotted testing in the UK and will be underpinned on JLR’s new electric platform. The Defender Electric will be positioned below the current Defender 90 in size. According to the company, the Defender electric will incorporate the same traditional attributes of the Defender family. 

Defender Electric Vision 

The upcoming Defender Sport will be the brand’s completely revamped product and will be rebranded under JLR’s ‘House of Brands’ strategy, along with the Range Rover and Discovery. 

The brand director of Defender, Mark Cameron further expressed that the upcoming model will be advanced and futuristic, although he has not confirmed the exact timeline of the launch. The current Defender lineup includes the 90, 110 and 130 body styles, along with the range topping Octa and hardtop commercial variants. 

JLR’s New Electric EMA Platform 

The Defender Sport will utilise JLR’s new EMA (Electric Modular Architecture) which will also power the upcoming future models of JLR which includes the next Range Rover Evoque and Velar. However, the larger Defender models will be underpinned by the MLA platform. 

The model will also retain the four-wheel drive integrated with a dual-motor electric setup. According to Camron, the Defender’s popular upright, boxy design could make EV efficiency and range more challenging to extract. 

However, he also stated that by retaining the core Defender design, the company will be blending the upright traditional design language with electric power will result in exceptional off-road drivability and torque flow, for which the legendary Defender is known for.