JLR and Stellantis Build a Defender for America
- Adam Bernard
- Jul 1
- 2 min read
As JLR struggles to reboot the Jaguar brand and launches the new Freelander brand (with Chery's help) in China, they are now turning to opportunities in the US market. That has led to a Memorandum of Understanding with Stellantis, to "explore collaboration opportunities to create synergies across product and technology development, leveraging the companies’ complementary strengths to create value for both organizations."
What does that mean in plain English? JLR leadership has suggested the Defender family (which gains a new smaller entry, likely named Defender Sport, next year) might get an additional US-focused (and US-built) variant. This could leverage an existing Stellantis architecture to “significantly help [JLR] tap into adjacent segments where [they're] currently not present,” according to JLR's chief strategy officer. There are several possible paths forward...
A "Defender 200" fullsize SUV off the Ram/Wagoneer architecture could slot above the current three-row midsize Defender 130. It's definitely an offroad capable platform, and using the Hurricane twin-turbo L6 would let the upcoming Ramcharger keep the Hemi as an exclusive. The only downside is that Wagoneer and Ramcharger are likely big moneymakers for Stellantis, and they might not want to give JLR a piece of that action.
Another possibility is a more rugged and affordable two-row midsize Defender, slotted below the current Defender 110 and targeting the Bronco. With Ram's new midsize Dakota pickup launching in 2027 off a body-on-frame architecture, JLR could develop an SUV off that same hardware and built it alongside the Dakota in Toledo. Of course, that would put it in direct competition with Wrangler, but a more refined Defender might help minimalize cannibalization.
JLR has also indicated plans for more electric SUVs for the US, which suggests an opportunity to use STLA Large (which underpins the Jeep Recon and Wagoneer S) for an electric Defender variant. Given the volumes of the STLA Large EVs, that might help make better use of Stellantis' Toluca plant. However, with the next-generation Defender (due in a couple of years) expected to gain an EV variant, leveraging JLR's multi-energy MLA architecture, that might be a redundant entry.
Finally... what about a pickup? Although it's never been sold here, Land Rover has offered Defender pickups in the past. The midsize truck market is growing considerably over the next few years, however, with new entries from Ram, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, and Kia due by 2030. JLR could also leverage the Dakota architecture for this entry, but the business case might be a bit of a stretch.
It seems like JLR has several options on the table; let's see how this plays out...