A Land Rover Defender pickup built in the United States could become one of the first results of the partnership that JLR and Stellantis are currently exploring. Rumors surrounding the project have inspired a new digital rendering that transforms the current Defender into a four-door pickup, although the images do not preview an official production model.
Land Rover Defender pickup takes shape as JLR and Stellantis explore US production
JLR and Stellantis signed a non-binding memorandum in May to explore development opportunities for North America. Later reports suggested that one of Stellantis’ US plants could handle production of the pickup, with a possible launch before the end of the decade.
The companies still need to define how much technology the Defender pickup could share with existing Stellantis products. Some reports mention possible links with the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator, but neither company has announced a final platform. Using a Stellantis factory alone would not reveal which engines, chassis components or other hardware the Defender might use.
Nikita Chuicko, who created the images published by Kolesa, focused mainly on reshaping the body. The double-cab layout keeps four side doors, while a separate cargo bed replaces the enclosed rear section of the five-door Defender that served as the starting point.
The angled cut of the rear doors recalls some configurations of older Defender pickups. The cargo bed also requires a redesigned rear end, where Chuicko adds different taillights and a specific bumper that changes the look of the vehicle from behind.
The front also receives several changes, including a larger grille and redesigned headlights around a revised fascia. A more pronounced lower protective section strengthens the off-road look, while some styling cues appear to reference the Freelander project that JLR is developing with Chery.
The Defender name has a long history with pickup body styles, although the current generation focuses entirely on enclosed SUVs. Bringing the pickup back would therefore revive part of the model’s heritage while adapting it to a new industrial project aimed primarily at North America.
The renderings show how a cargo bed could fit into the Defender design without losing the model’s identity, but they provide no information about payload or towing capacity. Those figures, along with final dimensions and powertrain choices, will depend on the technical decisions JLR and Stellantis make if the partnership moves forward.
