Confirmed: Land Rover Defender plug-in hybrid coming to PH

Land Rover is committed to making its vehicles more environmentally friendly by reducing its emissions. While the company may be known for making powerful inline-sixes and V8 engines, the automaker is also busy making a name for itself with vehicles using hybrid technology and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) propulsion.

Just last year, the company launched the Range Rover Sport P400e PHEV. Despite just having a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder under the hood, the vehicle benefits from an electric motor which gives the rather large SUV a combined system output of 404 PS and 640 Nm of torque. More importantly, Land Rover claims it can do 31.25 km per liter and can travel up to 48 km on pure electric power.

In case you prefer a plug-in hybrid setup of the company’s flagship, the Range Rover can also be had in the P400e PHEV variant. However, expect its fuel economy and all-electric range to be smaller than the Range Rover Sport.

Come next year, however, Land Rover Philippines will be bringing new (and improved) PHEV models into the country. This was confirmed by none other than Chris Ward, president of Coventry Motors, the official distributor of Land Rover in the country.

Chris Ward, president of Coventry Motors

According to Ward, not only will they reveal all-new PHEV versions of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, but they will also be bringing a PHEV variant of the much-revered Defender. That’s right, the Defender will soon be available as an electrified vehicle.

The exact details regarding the Defender PHEV are not yet available. But based on what other markets get, the electrified Defender for PH will likely come with Land Rover's P400e powerplant. Like the Range Rover Sport PHEV we currently get, it comes with a 2.0-liter electrified turbo-gasoline engine that makes 404 PS plus 640 Nm of torque. Power goes to an 8-speed automatic transmission with permanent four-wheel drive.

As for the PHEV models of the all-new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, the two electrified SUVs could come with a 3.0-liter twin-charged (turbo and supercharged) inline-six plug-in hybrid powertrain. Depending on what the automaker brings, we could get either the 440e or the more powerful 510e. The former makes 440 PS with 620 Nm of torque while the latter cranks out 510 PS and a monstrous 700 Nm of pull.

Other details regarding the upcoming PHEV models remain a mystery. However, Ward mentioned that we can expect the new plug-in models of the Defender, Range Rover, and Range Rover Sport to arrive either in early or mid-2023.

We are already at the tail-end of 2022, but Land Rover Philippines is already busy making noise for next year’s newest arrivals. With that, we could also expect Jaguar to launch more electrified models in the country in the not-so-distant future. Fingers crossed we won’t have to wait that long for Jag’s newest hybrids to make their local debut.