Land Rover Defender spotted testing in India

- Set for a global unveil in September this year.

- The test mule was registered under Tata Consultancy Service in India.

- Might have been undergoing software development or could be part of Land Rover’s extensive terrain testing plan.

The new-gen Land Rover Defender is on its way. But ahead of its global unveil – which will happen in September this year – a camouflaged prototype was spotted testing in India. Spotted on the roads of Bangalore, the test mule was wearing a registered license plate. And interestingly, the license plate was registered as Range Rover Evoque owned by Tata Consultancy Service under the Krishnarajapuram RTO. 

The car spied in India was the short wheelbase version and not the bigger five-door body.  The test mule did not sport the spare wheel mounted on the tailgate. Land Rover testing the new Defender in India could mean either of the two things. This might be a part of Land Rover’s extensive testing program. The prototypes of the new-gen Defender have already crossed 1.2 million test kilometres through some of the harshest terrains, claims the British carmaker. The upcoming Defender has passed more than 45,000 individual tests in some of the most extreme environments across the globe ranging from Arctic, Dubai, Colorado, Eastnor and Nurburgring. This means the Indian testing might just be another feather in its hat.  

Or the other possibility might be that TCS is developing some sort of software for the new Defender. Since the company has expertise in automation, AI, IOT, cloud infrastructure and more, the new-gen Defender might benefit from it as well. And if that’s the case, we may see new connectivity features in the new-generation off-roader.

Apart from that, since JLR is testing the new Defender in India, we like the idea of the carmaker introducing it in this county as well. Unlike the previous-gen Defender, which was never officially sold in India, the new Defender is likely to garner a lot of interest in a country obsessed with SUVs. If the carmaker decides to bring it to our shores, the new Defender might be priced around the same as the Discovery Sport. And that should make it an enticing package. 

The new model will retain the iconic boxy styling but will also carry modern elements in its chiselled aesthetics. The cabin will be retro-modern as well. No powertrain details are available at the moment but the new model will reportedly use a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. A hybrid version is also on the cards. More details about the new-generation Land Rover Defender will be revealed over the next few weeks.