Overview

• New images show a compact, boxy prototype with a high waistline, clamshell bonnet, flush door handles and an outward-opening tailgate with provision for an external spare.
• Autocar reports the name ‘Defender Sport’ briefly surfaced on Land Rover’s website via search, with ‘Defender 80’ also floated as a possible badge.
• The model is reported to use JLR’s Electrified Modular Architecture shared with the next Evoque and Velar, with powertrain details unconfirmed and EV and plug-in options suggested by outlets.
• Sized below the current Defender family, it is expected to be under about 4.6 metres long and roughly 1.8 metres tall, potentially replacing Discovery Sport with a more upmarket pitch.
• Production is reported for Merseyside following EV upgrades, as JLR contends with recent cyber attack disruptions and a UK government-backed £1.5bn loan to support operations and suppliers.