BREAKING: Defender Gets Cheaper By Rs 34 Lakh! Now Locally Assembled In India
The Defender range now starts at Rs 99 Lakh, with more standard features than before!
Fancy buying a Defender? Your dream might just become a lot more accessible! The brand has now announced that it is assembling the rugged luxury SUV in India, which has resulted in a significant drop in its pricing, making it a much more attractive proposition for buyers on the radar to bring their next SUV home. Let’s take a look at this development in detail:
Defender Now Assembled Locally
The Defender is one of the most iconic brands to have come out of the house of Jaguar Land Rover in recent times, and while till now the SUV was imported as a CBU (Completely Built-up Unit) from Slovakia, it now gets imported as a CKD (Completely Knocked-down kit) and assembled at the brand’s manufacturing facility in Pune, Maharashtra.
Besides the Defender, this facility also assembles models like the Sport and the Range Rover as well. Do note that this is the first time ever that the Defender is being assembled locally, and this assembly line is being set up exclusively to service Indian buyers.
Prices Go Down
In an era of price hikes, the Defender sees a significant price decrease because import duties on CKDs are lower than those on CBU cars. This has resulted in a price drop of up to Rs 34 lakh, based on the specification, which will add even more appeal to the already popular luxury SUV. Here is the new pricing of the Defender’s revised variants:
| Variant |
New Price |
Old Price |
Difference |
| Defender 110 2-litre turbo-petrol X-Dynamic HSE |
Rs 99 lakh |
Rs 1.13 crore* |
(- Rs 14.50 lakh) |
| Defender 110 3-litre turbo-petrol X-Dynamic HSE |
Rs 1.18 crore |
Rs 1.52 crore^ |
(- Rs 34 lakh) |
| Defender 110 3-litre diesel X-Dynamic HSE |
Rs 1.18 crore |
Rs 1.52 crore^ |
(- Rs 34 lakh) |
*Includes 17 options worth Rs 6.5 lakh that are now standard
^Includes 29 options worth Rs 17 lakh that are now standard
All prices ex-showroom
With this development, the Defender may also face lower waiting periods, with more units available to customers. Local manufacturing is so far been limited to the Defender 110’s X-Dynamic HSE variant, and the Defender 130, along with niche offerings like the Defender 90 and Defender Octa, continue to be sold via the CBU route given the low volumes.
About The Defender
One of the strongest luxury car brands today, Defender made its comeback with a retro-themed design, a versatile variant lineup and a balance of ruggedness and luxury that has made it very popular in the fast-growing full-size luxury SUV segment in India.
There’s a lot of neat technology in the Defender, including a 700W 15-speaker Meridian surround sound system, 13.1-inch Pivi Pro touchscreen infotainment system, adaptive air suspension, 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, head-up display, 14-way powered, cooled and heated front seats with memory, panoramic sunroof, three-zone climate control, wireless phone charger, ambient lighting, digital IRVM and a power-adjustable steering column.
Safety is strong with a 5-star Euro NCAP safety score, courtesy of equipment such as Level-2 ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), multiple airbags, electronic stability control (ESC), 360-degree camera, front and rear parking sensors, hill descent control (HDC) and more.
Across the Defender lineup, there is a choice of five engine options, including a supercharged V8 petrol, a twin-turbo V8 petrol, a diesel mild-hybrid and two standard turbo-petrol engines. Here are its detailed specifications:
| Engine |
3-litre diesel with mild-hybrid |
2-litre turbo-petrol with mild-hybrid |
3-litre turbo-petrol with mild-hybrid |
5-litre supercharged V8 petrol |
4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol |
| Power |
350 PS |
300 PS |
400 PS |
426 PS/525 PS |
635 PS |
| Torque |
700 Nm |
400 Nm |
550 Nm |
550 Nm/625 Nm |
750 Nm |
| Transmission |
8-speed AT |
||||
| Drivetrain |
AWD |
||||
AT- Automatic Transmission (torque converter), AWD- All-wheel drive
Needless to say, the Defender’s tough and rugged personality is complemented by a comprehensive set of off-road features, including adaptive off-road cruise control, hill launch assist, twin-range transfer case, a terrain response system and electronic locking differential with torque vectoring (EDL).
Rivals
The Defender, as iconic as it is, has little in the name of rivals. At the lower end of the spectrum, it goes up against the Mercedes-Benz GLE and GLS, BMW X5 and X7 and the Audi Q7, while the high-performance Octa version can even enter the territory of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and the Porsche Cayenne GTS.
CarDekho Says…
If there is one model that has become popular against all odds in the luxury segment, it is the Defender. Taking a more unconventional path, prioritising ruggedness and capabilities over sheer opulence, it has found its niche with all sorts of buyers, selling over 9,000 units in India since its launch almost 6 years ago.
Now, with reduced pricing, a better-equipped package and lesser waiting times, we are certain that it will reach new heights and bring in best-ever volumes for the brand in India, and all we wish is that local assembly slowly makes its way to more Defender variants.
What do you think of the locally-assembled Defender? Let us know in the comments below!