Yahoo Autos Historic British SUV will get an electric sibling
Land Rover will soon split into three brands called Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover, respectively. Turning a nameplate into a company requires launching new models, and one of the upcoming Defender-branded off-roaders will allegedly land as an entry-level electric car.
The on-again, off-again "baby Defender" has received the green light for production, according to British magazine Autocar. Citing company boss Adrian Mardell, the publication added that the yet-unnamed model will ride on the upcoming EMA platform that's being developed to underpin EVs. That's the same architecture that will underpin the next Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover Velar, and Discovery Sport.
While the four SUVs will share numerous parts under the sheet metal, it's reasonable to assume that they won't be linked by styling cues. It sounds like the point of separating Land Rover into three brands is to focus on each one's strengths, and the Defender nameplate has been synonymous with off-roading for decades. Nothing is official yet, but our crystal ball tells us the baby Defender will feature a rugged-looking design and offer more off-road capacity than, say, the Velar, which is likely to again lean towards the performance side of the SUV spectrum.
