At a press event for the Land Rover Range Rover Velar in
October, Land Rover told an electrified Defender off-road SUV wasn't off the
table without confirming or denying such a powertrain. Now, a report published
by Motoring on Thursday claims not only will electrified options be part of the
powertrain lineup, but an all-electric option will be available as well.
Sources close to Jaguar Land Rover told the publication that
a battery-electric Defender is confirmed for production and the SUV will
utilize at least one electric motor with a powerful battery pack. When we
pressed for information on an electrified Defender this past October, Chris
Marchand, executive vice president for Jaguar Land Rover North America, told
electrified powertrains and off-roaders are not mutually exclusive, seemingly
dropping a hint before this new report.
The new Defender will not utilize the company's front and
all-wheel drive transverse-engine D8 architecture or the steel and aluminum
iQ-Al platform. Rather, the off-road icon will use a new variation of the
Discovery, Range Rover, and Range Rover Sport's aluminum platform. Sources
added the platform will indeed be closely related to the Discovery's platform.
And the new Defender won't be a one-trick pony, either. Land Rover will develop
a broad model range to cover hardcore off-road, luxury, and performance
variants of the SUV. The iconic Defender 90 and Defender 110 names will remain,
thanks to two separate wheelbases measuring 90 and 110 inches.
As for the new Defender's design, the report said to expect
a "controversial" look to help the nameplate not only retain its rugged
history, but also attract new customers.
An all-electric Land Rover Defender will fall in
line with the brand's call for electrified options for all new vehicles
starting with the 2020 model year. We don't have a set date, but the report
said the Defender will be part of the brand's massive 70th-anniversary
celebration in late 2018 before going on sale in 2019.
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