Sales were initially strong but they have dropped off since the Covid pandemic and a second-generation model has yet to be confirmed.
Autocar has been told that work is currently ongoing to reinvent the full-sized Discovery range and position it away from the more successful – and therefore cannibalising – Defender line-up.
Given the baby Defender’s apparent chunky proportions and off-road pedigree, it could even be positioned to pick up where the popular Freelander (not to be confused with the new JLR-Chery Freelander EVs set to be made in China) left off after the Freelander 2 was replaced by the Discovery Sport.
The Defender has been a global hit (more than 114,000 were sold in 2024) since its luxury repositioning in 2020. JLR applying the name to its new entry-level model would enable it to appeal to a wider group of buyers.
To be priced at significantly less than the Defender but with a comparable set of attributes and a tangible familial link, the baby Defender has the potential to quickly become a volume player for JLR globally.
It will be a sibling to the next-generation Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Velar (the latter is expected to arrive first) and all three will use JLR’s new EMA platform.
