Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is in talks with Nato countries regarding the sale of its newly revamped Defender military vehicle. This move is part of the UK-based carmaker's strategy to engage with Europe's growing defence spending.
JLR is also competing for a UK defence ministry contract valued at £900m. This contract aims to replace an older fleet of Land Rovers, which ceased production in 2016. General Motors and the UK's Ineos are also bidding for this contract.
Owned by India's Tata Motors, JLR has established a new Defender defence division. This division's purpose is to explore new partnerships for supplying vehicles for personnel and equipment transport to defence sectors globally. Patrick McGillycuddy, Defender managing director, stated that the new Defender Wolf Series II will be offered to defence organisations worldwide.
The carmaker aims to expand its reach beyond its existing relationship with the British armed forces. This expansion comes as JLR faces weaker demand in other areas and increased costs, alongside challenges such as Donald Trump's tariff wars and a cyber-attack last year. JLR has stated that this defence sector focus is unrelated to its planned global job cuts of 4,000, which are part of an effort to save £1.7bn.