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Land Rover’s Next Small Off-Roader Will Keep with Tradition in the Best Way Possible

The new baby Defender gains gas-electric hybrid power before it’s even out.

Close-up of a rectangular car headlight with LED ring and two square LED elements on a matte green vehicle.Land Rover
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By Chris Chin

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It seems Land Rover’s new baby Defender isn’t going all-electric after all. New reports and a recent spotting of a developmental test mule suggest that the British automaker is backtracking on its decision to make its new small off-roader an EV.

Instead, it’ll be a gas-electric hybrid. Speaking to AutoCar, the chief product manager for the Defender and Discovery, Mark Cameron, said his team made major adjustments to Jaguar-Land Rover’s new and highly anticipated EMA platform.

No more range anxiety

When Land Rover broke the news that it would build a smaller and more affordable Defender model, the British automaker pledged to make it among its first EVs. It was part of Jaguar-Land Rover’s ambitious electrification strategy, which eventually planned for the carmaker to ditch internal combustion power altogether.

However, much like many other automakers, JLR saw the writing on the wall regarding the EV’s lukewarm reception. At least here in America, which is one of its biggest markets.

Thus, the British conglomerate decided to pivot from its all-electric future to a gas-electric hybrid one.

Rear view of a silver Land Rover Defender with a spare tire on the back and people packing gear in the background on a rocky terrain.
A new, smaller Defender variant is still on the way, and it’ll likely arrive as the Defender Sport.
Land Rover

According to the report, Land Rover is shifting its focus on hybridization rather than going full electric. However, Jaguar’s EV plans remain in place.

As a result, those looking forward to the new baby Defender won’t have to worry about range anxiety or the ownership complications of having an EV.

Cameron confirmed to AutoCar that JLR’s new platform, EMA, “will now include the option of HEV [hybrid] as well as BEV [battery-electric]” power. The EMA platform is what the new baby Defender will ride on.

Expanding Defender as a subbrand

Three olive green SUVs with white roofs parked side by side against a large concrete wall.
Land Rover hopes to rebrand its Defender range as its own standalone sub-brand, similar to Range Rover.
Land Rover

When the new baby Defender arrives, it will further Land Rover’s plans to spin off the Defender nameplate into its own sub-brand. It’s a marketing and nomenclature move that the brand originally made with its other models.

For example, when Land Rover launched the Range Rover Sport, the carmaker continued branding Range Rover models as their own, despite unmistakably being Land Rovers. Although Range Rover models do have Land Rover badges here and there, they’re mostly “Range Rover” badges on the exterior and interior.

Red Land Rover Defender with black roof and rugged tires parked on concrete with rocky landscape in background.
The Defender 90 is currently the smallest Defender available.
Land Rover USA

The Range Rover lineup has since expanded to the Evoque and Velar. The same strategy also defined the Discovery models, with the Discovery Sport and its standard counterpart.

Now, Land Rover wants to do the same with the Defender, which consists of three body styles: 90, 110 and 130. With the arrival of the baby Defender, speculation suggests the smaller model will be named the “Defender Sport.”

Black Land Rover Defender driving through a shallow forest stream surrounded by mossy trees and green grass.
The new, smaller Defender will thankfully get gas-electric hybrid power, so there’s no concerns for range anxiety when off-roading in the wilderness.
Land Rover

“We’ve got a portfolio of one model with several variants, but I’m working seven to 10 years ahead to build out this whole brand portfolio,” Cameron continued.

“We’ve got to make sure everything we do as Defender has the DNA of the brand: epic built-to-last, go-anywhere capability.”

About the Author: Chris Chin is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, trucks and anything else with four wheels. He has over a decade of experience writing news and reviews but considers himself an enthusiast first, with a passion for classics and European cars. His daily driver is a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL with nearly 250,000 miles (87,000 are his).

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