Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has its eyes on expansion in the United States, and its first jab at U.S. production will likely be a Defender pickup truck built in collaboration with Stellantis, according to anAutomotive Newsreport.
Last year, the North American market comprised nearly 30 percent of JLR’s global sales, with the United States gobbling most of that total. JLR imports all of its vehicles to the U.S., and the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration in 2025 have made this an expensive venture. U.K.-built vehicles, including theRange Rover, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Velar, Range Rover Evoque, andDiscovery Sport, face a 10 percent duty, and E.U.-built vehicles, including theDiscoveryand Defender, get 15 percent tacked on.
To combat some of those tariffs while expanding U.S. reach,JLR signed a memorandum of understandingwith Stellantis in May to collaborate on product development and production in the United States. At an investor meeting in June, JLR CEO PB Balaji saidthe brand wanted to grow its U.S. marketto the size of JLR’s current global footprint.
JLR isn’t moving its Defender production from Slovakia to the U.S., however. Instead, the Stellantis partnership will facilitate the development of Defender vehicles in new segments. The first, it seems, will be a Defender pickup truck, which would be developed specifically for the U.S. market.
Most of the details surrounding the proposed new pickup are still unknown. Assuming it follows the current Defender’s form, the truck could sit on a unibody platform, which isn’t something Stellantis currently builds for its trucks. TheRam 1500andHDpickups, as well as theJeep Gladiator, use body-on-frame construction. The brand does build unibody SUVs, though, including theJeep Grand CherokeeandDodge Durango. It’s unclear what size the Defender truck would be, and engine specifics also haven’t been mentioned, though it’s likely Stellantis will be a part of the powertrain development, too.
A representative from Jaguar Land Rover declined to comment on reports regarding future products. We reached out to Stellantis for comment, and will update this story with a statement when we hear back.
A luxury-branded pickup truck would be an unusual addition to the U.S. truck market, which is currently dominated by the Big Three, although the American automakers do offer opulent trims on their full-size trucks, from theFord F-150 Platinumto theRam 1500 Tungstenand theGMC Sierra Denali Ultimate. JLR’s partnership with Stellantis creates an opportunity for the luxury automaker to get a deep understanding of what U.S. buyers want and develop a truck that blends Land Rover luxury with market-specific needs. This collaboration is still far from final, however, and the Defender truck is likely years away from production.