Land Rover Confirms Only The Next-Gen Defender Will Be Electric

An electric version of the Land Rover Defender is unlikely to debut before the decade’s end, coinciding with the model’s next-generation update on a new platform.

Lenard Hurnik, JLR’s chief commercial officer, stated that the British firm’s exploration of electrifying the current premium SUV has uncovered significant packaging challenges that may be insurmountable. “Electrifying the existing L663 model on the D7x platform isn’t our goal,” Hurnik explained. “The L663 excels at its purpose, and we already offer a [four-cylinder] plug-in hybrid version. However, accommodating the additional space needed for batteries within that chassis is quite challenging.”

Even switching the Defender to JLR’s six-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain with a larger battery (popular with Range Rover and Range Rover Sport buyers) is made impossible by the D7x platform, company insiders have confirmed.

“We said we would make an electric model for each of our new brands [Range Rover, Defender, Discovery, and Jaguar], and we remain committed to that,” Hurnik continued. “But finding space on the current Defender platform is difficult, so we’re going to have to use something different.”

Hurnik would not confirm whether this means waiting for a second-generation Defender on a new platform or instead introducing another Defender-branded model on a dedicated EV platform before then. Still, his comments suggest the former scenario is more likely.

“The EV will have to take a fairly significant step in the evolution of the Defender,” he said.

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