+++ JLR is gearing up to launch a long-mooted and highly anticipated smaller, entry-level DEFENDER as a crucial new model in its electric car portfolio. The rugged, compact 4×4 is rumoured to have been on the cards for several years but has never officially appeared in JLR’s product roadmap presentations. But spy photographers have now spotted the model testing, confirming development is well under way and indicating it could arrive in dealerships as soon as 2027. It will have a close visual relationship with its full-sized namesake in its chunky, straight-edged proportions, but it will be a smaller, lower-riding proposition and less geared towards off-road performance. Although JLR previously declined to comment on the new model, the name ‘Defender Sport’ was briefly added to the Land Rover website, albeit only viewable from a search engine. The Sport suffix has previously been used to signify JLR’s more road-focused versions, such as the Discovery Sport and Range Rover Sport. It’s also possible that the new Defender model could be distinguished not in name but in number, with a designation such as ’80’ positioning it below the full-sized model, which is sold in 90, 110 and 130 bodystyles. The baby Defender may replace the ageing Discovery Sport, given the apparent shared positions of both vehicles and the questions over the Discovery Sport’s future. Now sold as a plug-in hybrid only, the Discovery Sport is the oldest model in JLR’s stable, having arrived in 2014 and been given a substantial facelift in 2019. Sales were initially strong but they have dropped off since the Covid pandemic and a second-generation model has yet to be confirmed. 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 3 cars will use JLR’s new EMA platform. These models will be built at JLR’s Halewood plant on Merseyside, which is currently undergoing a €600 million upgrade to prepare it to produce EVs. Electric power is the primary focus of the 800 Volt platform, with motors to be built in-house and batteries to come from the forthcoming Somerset plant of JLR parent Tata. However, JLR announced last year that it was scaling back EV plans and instead ramping up production of plug-in hybrids after “surprising” demand, which means the EMA-based cars could possibly be fitted with ICE drivetrains to boost appeal. The baby Defender will be much more compact in all dimensions than the Defender. The Defender currently uses a variation of the D7 platform (which also underpins the Discovery), but the promised electric variant, due in around 2026, will use the MLA platform that underpins both the ICE and upcoming EV versions of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. The baby Defender will be a similar size to its platform siblings. It’s likely to measure around 4.6 meter long, 2.0 meter wide and less than 1.8 meter tall; similar dimensions to the Dacia Bigster and Skoda Kodiaq. +++
+++ DS boss Xavier Peugeot has hinted that a replacement for the brand’s smallest model, the 3, is on the horizon, but suggested that it won’t be easily pigeonholed into a traditional segment. The high-riding DS 3 is up for renewal, having been launched in 2018 as the second model from the then newly independent DS marque. Sharing its platform and powertrain line-up with the similarly sized Opel Mokka, Jeep Avenger and Peugeot 2008, the DS 3 has tried to play a crucial role in helping Stellantis’s French premium marque to establish a foothold in the European market. However, it failed miserably. Xavier Peugeot suggested the brand plans to maintain a small car offering, but hinted that, like the new N°8, a successor to the 3 would be likely to straddle traditional segments in a bid to both stand out in a crowded segment and appeal to different demographics. “There is room for a premium car in the small, medium or large segments, but I think we should also probably invent some new segments, if we can”, he said. “There is room in the various segments for a premium player”. He stopped short of giving any concrete details of DS’s plans for a new entry model, but DS product director Audrey Amar said Xavier Peugeot is always asking her to “invent a new concept” for upcoming cars and suggested that future models will follow the N°8 in straddling various market segments. She said: “When you look at previous segments, it was very clear that you had B-hatch, B-SUV, C-hatch, C-SUV… Now it’s not that obvious any more”. Amar added that the N°4, which occupies a similar footprint to the likes of its Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series rivals but adopts more of an SUV-inspired silhouette, is “the beginning of this new segmentation”. Similarly, the new N°8 is referred to internally as “a D-Cross”, referencing its conception as a D-segment ‘crossover’ that isn’t easily described as either a saloon or an SUV. “We are mixing the different codes of the different segments to create new concepts”, said Amar. The next-generation DS 3 (set to be renamed N°3 under the brand’s new naming strategy) would no doubt follow the Opel Corsa and Peugeot 208 in swapping from the current CMP platform onto Stellantis’s new STLA Small architecture. That platform is designed primarily for electric cars and indeed Opel has said the next Corsa will be electric only, but the current car is likely to remain on sale in order to maintain a combustion offering in the price-focused small car segment. DS could follow suit, introducing a new-generation, electric-only N°3 on STLA Small, while also heavily overhauling the current model in line with its new design language and keeping both cars on sale simultaneously. The brand has given no indication of a potential launch date and test prototypes have yet to appear on public roads, but with the Corsa and 208 both due on sale next year and the current 3 now having been on sale for 7 years, first details could be expected in the coming months. +++
+++ FERRARI has begun testing what appears to be a near-production version of its long-awaited debut EV ahead of sharing the first details about it next week. Mystery has long surrounded the electric model, which was last week seen by spy snappers outside the Italian marque’s headquarters in Maranello. The EV was sporting a very heavy camouflage (a tactic Ferrari deployed when testing the new 849 Testarossa, the 1.050 hp V8 supercar revealed last month to replace the SF90 Stradale. While prototypes of the EV have been spotted before, they all used old Maserati Levante bodies, meaning this car, despite its heavy cloak, is likely our first proper look at Ferrari’s first non-ICE model. Its full unveiling isn’t due until next spring as part of a 3-step unveiling. This will start with the EV’s “technological heart”, confirmed CEO Benedetto Vigna, likely meaning information about the platform and powertrain. Ferrari will then unveil the “look and feel of the interior” in early 2026, followed by the complete unveiling in the spring, said Vigna. Vigna previously told that the EV will be made “in the right way” to ensure buyers can “have a lot of fun”. These latest pictures suggest the EV will be similar in size to the Purosangue but with a more aerodynamically friendly rakish shape. It appears to have enough room for rear doors, suggesting it will be able to house at least 4 passengers. At the rear, a high roof-mounted spoiler lip can be seen over the rear axle, and it appears to sport bloated wheel arches. Both add to the suggestion that its shape could be similar to the Purosangue, but they could also be clever cladding tricks by Ferrari to disguise the car’s real look. Reports suggest that the EV will be priced from €460.00 . Deliveries are still expected to begin at the end of 2026. The Ferrari EV will be produced in the firm’s new ‘E-building’ at Maranello. The facility contains an advanced new production line and will eventually house production of all of Ferrari’s EV powertrains, including high-voltage batteries, electric motors and e-axles. +++
+++ JLR can now pay suppliers as it finally begins to restart its IT system following a cyber attack on 1 September – but its production lines will remain static until 1 October. The hack incapacitated the Land Rover maker, forcing it to shut down its internal computer systems in an effort to protect data from being stolen. This resulted in production shutdowns at all of its global plants, created issues with parts ordering and stifled retailers. The shutdown has also heavily impacted suppliers, so much so that the government is debating about bailout measures in order to prevent any layoffs or bankruptcies. JLR has confirmed that “sections of our digital estate are now up and running”, including its payment systems, and the company is “now working to clear the backlog of payments to our suppliers as quickly as we can”. What’s more, JLR’s Global Parts Logistics Centre, which supplies the parts distribution centres for retailers globally, is “now returning to full operations”, meaning servicing and repairs can once again take place. JLR is now also able to digitally sell and register new vehicles (it was previously doing the latter via telephone to the DVLA), as its financial system has been brought back online. Its statement concluded: “These are important initial steps as our dedicated teams work around the clock alongside cybersecurity specialists, the UK government’s NCSC [National Cyber Security Centre] and law enforcement to ensure we restart in a safe and secure manner”. The latest update does not include a restart of production, however, which is still pencilled to resume on 1 October. This date was set on 16 September after JLR extended its vehicle production pause by another week. The company had planned to restart production at its UK and Slovakia factories on 29 September but delayed the restart as part of a plan to resume operations “in a safe and secure manner”. The move means JLR will lose a full month of vehicle production, having not produced any vehicles since shutting down all its global systems in response to the attack on 1 September. The impact on volumes will be made clear when the company releases its production numbers for the quarter, but in the 3 months to the end of September last year, it produced more than 80.000 cars. The effect could be costing JLR up to 6 million euro a day, business economics professor David Bailey has told.
++ MCLAREN AUTOMOTIVE is at a pivotal turning point. The firm is under new ownership and leadership, with a major overhaul ongoing across the company, and the potential for a contentious push into the luxury, electric SUV market. The shakeup follows the acquisition of McLaren earlier this year by the Abu Dhabi investment fund CYVN Holdings, which also took a non-controlling stake in the brand’s Formula One race team. The fund immediately merged the supercar business with its other automotive assets to create a new entity: McLaren Group Holdings; an automotive space that now includes a 700-employee British engineering start-up (previously operating under the name Forseven), the technology division of Gordon Murray Automotive and a technology licence deal with Chinese electric car maker Nio. Under new CEO Nick Collins, a former top R&D executive at Jaguar Land Rover, the brand is poised for a significant expansion. “We’ll do what McLaren has always done, but do more of it and do it even better”, the new CEO told in an exclusive interview. As part of this new strategy, the company is preparing for a radical shift in its product line-up. The W1 hybrid hyper car, is still on track to launch in 2026, but the company is also planning a move into electric SUVs, possibly as soon as 2027. This direction was explored by Collins’ predecessor, Michael Leiters, who saw a 4-door McLaren as a direct rival to the Ferrari Purosangue and Aston Martin DBX. Leiters’ vision was for a sporty, swooping coupe-SUV, which would likely have been powered by a detuned version of the W1’s hybrid drivetrain: a 4.0-litere twin-turbo V8 paired with a high-output electric motor. To preserve McLaren’s exclusive brand position, the company had held talks with global automotive players for a vehicle architecture that would support a low-volume, 4-figure production run, pointing to a Dutch price tag of comfortably more than €350.000 for the ultra-aspirational coupe-SUV. McLaren’s new plan could be even more radical. Forseven’s engineering team, many ex-JLR like Nick Collins and new McLaren design boss Alister Whelan, had already drawn up a luxurious SUV, very much in keeping with the stately, horizontal lines and proportions of the Range Rover. And with plans for Forseven to launch its own brand now shelved, this blueprint is being assessed for launch as a McLaren. Its look is very different from Leiters’ vision, as is the proposed pure-electric drivetrain; a transition that has troubled supercar makers. Lamborghini has pushed back the launch of its electric coupe-SUV, based on the Lanzador concept, to 2029 at the earliest and Ferrari is reported to have shelved a second EV. McLaren’s previous leadership did not believe a critical mass of its customers were hungry for an electric SUV either. This is the minefield that the astute Nick Collins and his team must navigate. As the architect of the latest-generation Range Rover, Collins rightly set up the luxurious and lucrative off-roader for combustion, plug-in hybrid and pure electric propulsion. He told us that McLaren would be equally flexible. “I believe every brand must have a multi-propulsion future”, stresses the CEO. “The pace of regulatory change and consumer adoption is different in different parts of the world. Are we going to make McLaren an all-electric brand? Absolutely not”. Collins refused to confirm whether Nio’s battery and motor technology would be used to power a McLaren EV. CYVN owns 20 pe cent of the Chinese car maker and is assisting as the company tries to broaden its European footprint. “We have access to certain Nio technologies with our licence. And that’s an amazing opportunity, because, frankly, some of the best automotive technology in the world is in China”, he claims. Leiters always believed it would take a leap in battery tech, with a stepchange improvement in energy density to boost long-running and agility, to unlock an electric supercar. A zero-emissions McLaren SUV (with less stringent performance requirements) could potentially have been enabled by a tech deal with BMW, for its iX or Neue Klasse architecture. Technology partnerships were discussed during ownership talks, but BMW didn’t follow through. +++
+++ Mercedes-AMG boss Michael Schiebe is leaving his role to lead MERCEDES ‘ production and quality divisions as part of a management shake-up brought about by the departure of technology boss Markus Schäfer. Chief technology officer Schäfer will retire from the role at the end of his contract, ending a 30-year run at the Stuttgart firm. He will be replaced by Jörg Burzer, who is currently head of production, quality and supply chain management. Burzer will be replaced, in turn, by Schiebe, who has run the Mercedes-AMG and ‘Top-End Vehicle’ divisions since March 2023, having joined the company in 2004. +++
+++ PEUGEOT will preview the next 208 in November with a new concept called Polygon and it’s set to feature a square steering wheel that will be taken into production. The concept will showcase the third generation of Peugeot’s best-selling car and is expected to focus heavily on the future of the French brand’s interiors. It will feature what is expected to be a near-production version of Peugeot’s rectangular Hypersquare steering wheel. The radical design was first previewed on the Inception concept of 2023. The Hypersquare will use a steer-by-wire system, marking the first time a Stellantis car has used the technology. Peugeot CEO Alain Favey said this will be “the next step in the saga of i-Cockpit”, Peugeot’s distinct interior design that utilises a small steering wheel set well below the instruments. The new set-up (which is expected to be adopted across the range after its introduction in the 208) is “about agility” and will give future Peugeots a unique driving feel, said Favey. He added that the Polygon will feature a 21 inch ‘floating’ display, which is likely to be the same curved infotainment unit as in the 3008, suggesting the concept’s interior will be near production specification. Little else is known about the Polygon, but Favey said “designers have worked with a lot of very, very creative ideas”, suggesting it could sport quite a conceptual look. This would follow a similar vein to the Opel Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo, the 800 hp sporty electric concept revealed in August that previews the next generation of the 208’s Corsa twin. Like that concept, the Polygon is expected to sit on Stellantis’s incoming STLA Small platform. While the new platform can accommodate either hybrid or electric powertrains, Opel CEO Florian Huettl recently confirmed to Autointernationaal.nl the next Corsa will be exclusively electric, suggesting the next 208 will be also. The current second-generation, CMP-based ICE 208, therefore, is likely to stay in production alongside the new 208, given the unpredictability of the EV market. Favey didn’t outright confirm this, instead saying Peugeot is “committed to BEVs” but also “committed to a multi-energy offer”. “Our strategy is to leave the choice to the customer which energy they want to use”. The new 208, due at the end of next year, is tipped to be the first car to sit on the STLA Small platform, followed by the new Corsa. Both will continue to be built at Stellantis’s Zaragoza plant in Spain. +++