Land Rover Baby Defender : On hearing the name of Land Rover Defender, a picture of a powerful and strong off-road vehicle comes to mind. Now to bring this identity to more people, the company is working on a new model which is currently being called “Baby Defender”. This SUV will be in compact size and will come in a fully electric avatar. The special thing is that it will be launched globally in the year 2027.
Roots of Defender
The story of the Defender begins in 1948, when the Land Rover series was first launched. Earlier it was known by its wheelbases such as 90, 110 and 127. In the year 1990, it was officially named Defender. This model remained in production for several decades and was discontinued in January 2016. After this, the new generation of Defender came to the market in 2020 and now a small but powerful version is going to be added to the same lineup.
Design and platform of Baby Defender
This new model will be built on Land Rover’s modular EMA platform. This platform gives it the ability to be fully electric. Its length will be around 4.6 meters, width 2 meters and height less than 1.8 meters, making it compact than the standard Defender. In the initial pictures, this vehicle is seen with a boxy shape and straight profile, which has been the hallmark of the big Defender.
Technology and Features
The baby Defender will be fully electric and is expected to get a dual motor setup, which will give it a 4X4 drive experience. It will be given 800V electrical architecture which will support fast charging up to 350 kW. The battery will be supplied from Tata’s upcoming UK Gigafactory and its final assembly will be done at Land Rover’s Merseyside plant.
Positioning and competition
This new model is being considered as the entry-level option of the Defender family. Compact size and electric power can make it especially popular among the youth. After launch, it will compete directly with Mercedes-Benz’s upcoming “Little G” electric SUV, which will enter the market in 2027 itself.