The Land Rover Defender will transition to an all-electric model by 2027.

After gaining spotlight earlier this year, the upcoming new generation Land Rover termed as ‘Baby Defender’ has been once again spotted testing on the roads of the UK. The upcoming SUV is likely to be branded as Land Rover Defender 80 or the Defender Sport, as the new SUV will be positioned below the regular-sized Defender in the company’s existing global lineup. 

This compact electric SUV will be more or less replacing the current Discovery Sport, and also could be an indirect successor to the Freelander. The new Baby Defender will be following the traditional styling cues of the Defender and will be retaining the boxy and rugged design which gave the SUV its real identity, distinguishing it from its competitors. 

Apart from the traditional Defender, this upcoming Baby SUV won’t be engineered on the body-on-frame construction, which signifies that it will be based for urban usability with decent off-roading capabilities. 

Baby Defender Architecture

The upcoming Defender 80 is expected to be underpinned on the all-new EMA architecture, which will be also underpinning future versions of the Range Rover Evoque and Velar. The production is expected to commence at Land Rover’s in-house Halewood facility in the UK, which is being set up for manufacturing only electric models. 

Baby Defender Powertrains

In terms of mechanicals, the Baby Defender will be a pure electric SUV. However, the technical details are not revealed by the company but expect it to offer a dual-motor setup integrated with an all-wheel drive configuration. The entry level models will be powered with a single motor. 

The electric SUV could get the 800-Volt charging architecture, with fast charging support up to 350 kW, which will significantly reduce the charging times especially on longer highway journeys. 

Land Rover is aiming for a 2027 global debut for the Defender 80 and will be catered to a new segment of buyers who are looking for heritage Defender experience in a more compact, city-friendly and zero emission package.