The Defender is JLR’s best-selling car in India, and for good reason. Recently, the brand confirmed the upcoming launch of the CKD Defender (locally assembled model) in India. This will result in a significant price drop. But JLR isn’t stopping there. To make the Defender even more accessible, JLR is developing a new “baby Defender” that could be a perfect rival to the Toyota Fortuner. Here’s all you need to know!
Land Rover’s New Toyota Fortuner Rival Incoming
The mini-Defender will be based on JLR’s Electrified Modular Architecture (EMA). It was designed for the brand’s next-generation EV and hybrid models, and JLR already uses it in the new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport Electric models. This also hints that the mini-Defender could be an EV-only model. JLR has yet to reveal more details about this upcoming SUV, but new details emerged after some spy shots were released.
The mini-Defender has been spotted testing at JLR’s base near Nürburgring with a strange rectangular box mounted on the rear door. It seems too bizarre to be part of the production version. So, we assume it may be hiding an external storage box for the charging cable, similar to Mercedes-Benz’s Electric G-Wagon. This could be because it has less cabin space, since it’s a smaller SUV.
In terms of design, it resembles the full-size Defender’s boxy silhouette and is spotted with a 5-door configuration. While everyone calls it the “Baby Defender”, rumors suggest JLR could officially name it the Defender Sport or Defender 80, keeping the Defender nameplate.
It is too soon to identify any credible information about its powertrain specs. Expect these to surface in the coming months.
Will The Baby Defender Come To India?
It’s too soon to say whether we will see it on our shores, but if JLR plans it for India, they’ll need to be smart about it. If JLR assembles the car locally, you could expect this SUV to steer the Fortuner’s potential customers toward itself. We expect the pricing to range from Rs. 50 lakh to Rs. 90 lakh. But it would be a compelling option, offering the Fortuner’s go-anywhere attitude under a premium name.