Land Rover will discontinue the Discovery Sport compact SUV after more than a decade in production. The brand confirmed the model’s production will stop in December 2026, marking the end of the 2026 model year for this vehicle.
Discovery Sport’s Decade-Long Run
The Discovery Sport first launched in the United States for the 2015 model year, replacing the LR2 (known overseas as the second-generation Freelander). It received a major update in 2020, adding a refreshed design, a new four-cylinder engine, and a hybrid powertrain. Since then, the model has seen little development and has steadily lost sales momentum.
Reasons Behind the Decision
According to Land Rover, ending Discovery Sport production is part of a normal product lifecycle as the Halewood factory prepares to build new Jaguar Land Rover models. However, reports from Autocar suggest the decision is also linked to stricter European safety regulations (General Safety Regulation 2). These rules require safety features that the Discovery Sport does not currently have, and Land Rover appears to have decided not to update the model to meet them.
This move echoes a similar decision by Porsche to discontinue its gas-powered Macan. With slowing sales—Autocar identified the Discovery Sport as Land Rover’s slowest-selling model in 2025—the company may see more value in retiring the SUV.
Future Plans and Successors
Land Rover intends to replace the Discovery Sport with the upcoming Defender Sport, a smaller, boxy compact off-roader based on the Defender’s design language. In addition, a new lower-slung Range Rover GT is expected to enter the compact SUV segment, although it will likely be priced higher than the Discovery Sport.
More details about these new models are awaited, but the Defender Sport seems positioned to carry Land Rover’s legacy in the compact SUV space moving forward.
Source: caranddriver.com