
Land Rover unveils Defender OCTA Black edition
Finished in Narvik Black, the darkest shade in the Defender palette, the OCTA Black includes black accents on 30 exterior components.
The SUV includes a Satin Black Powder Coat front undershield and rear scuff plates, Gloss Black quad exhaust tips, and a darkened Land Rover grille badge. Clients can also opt for a matte protective film for added personalisation.
Features and specifications
The OCTA Black is offered with either 20-inch forged or 22-inch Gloss Black wheels, both fitted with black centre caps and Shadow Atlas Defender script. Gloss Black brake calipers with silver script add a contrasting detail.
Inside, the cabin introduces Ebony Semi-Aniline Leather with Kvadrat, marking a first for the Defender range. The performance seats feature unique perforation and stitching patterns, while interior accents include a Satin Black Cross Car Beam and optional Chopped Carbon Fibre trim.
Powered by a 635PS 4.4-litre twin-turbo mild-hybrid V8 engine, the OCTA Black includes 6D Dynamics suspension and a dedicated OCTA Mode for high-performance off-road driving. It also features the Body and Soul Seats (BASS) developed with SUBPAC, offering a vibro-acoustic experience via a 700W Meridian sound system.
The OCTA Black joins the
Defender OCTA line-up
, which now includes two new colour options: Sargasso Blue and Borasco Grey.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Luxury cars to rev up, EVs in slow lane
Govt finally relaxed customs duty rates on imported cars with the UK trade deal, paving the way for tariffs to come down from highs of over 100 per cent to as low as 10 per cent, benefitting ultra-luxury car brands such as Jaguar and Land Rover, Rolls-Royce , Bentley and Aston Martin . However, govt has delayed the import duty concessions when it comes to electrics and other green cars, the measure being initiated to protect domestic players looking to produce high-value clean cars. "There are no concessions given to electrics, hybrids, and hydrogen-powered vehicles in the first five years," an official said. In petrol and diesel categories, lower tariffs can be enjoyed for a limited number of vehicles as govt has imposed quotas and limits to protect the domestic makers and also curb mass-scale shipments. For large-engine petrol cars above 3000cc and diesel cars over 2500cc - traditionally luxury imports - India has committed to lowering current 100 per cent + customs duty to 10 per cent over 15 years, within a quota starting at 10,000 units and rising to 19,000 in year five, according to an analysis by Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a think tank. For mid-sized cars (1500-2500cc diesel/up to 3000cc petrol), a 50 per cent in-quota duty applies initially, falling to 10 per cent by year five. Small cars under 1500cc follow a similar tariff reduction path with a growing quota. "These in-quota vehicles enjoy sharply reduced duties, while out-of-quota imports still face tariffs ranging from 95 per cent to 50per cent, depending on vehicle size and year," GTRI said. In electrics, market access has been given mostly in the high-price segment of vehicles priced above £80,000 (around Rs 94 lakh). "For vehicles priced below £40,000, no market access provided, ensuring complete protection for the mass-market EV segment in which India seeks global leadership," the official said. While the duty cuts will happen only once the UK Parliament approves the agreement (possibly by the middle of next year), analysts believe that the duty reduction with the UK may pave the way for similar measures with other countries and trading blocs as well. "This is India's first-ever auto tariff concession in any FTA, and it's likely to trigger similar demands from Japan, the EU, South Korea, and the US," GTRI added.
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business Standard
India-UK trade deal: Smooth road ahead as luxury cars set to get cheaper
The India-United Kingdom free-trade agreement (FTA) is likely to boost market access for high-end luxury cars owing to lower tariffs. Under the FTA, tariffs on automotive imports will come down by 50 per cent over 10 years (out of quota). JLR is likely to be the biggest beneficiary of this move. Players like Aston Martin (which sold fewer than 25 cars in India in 2024, according to market sources), Rolls Royce, and McLaren too are likely to benefit from the reduced import duty. Players like Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) make 60 per cent of the cars they sell in India locally as completely knocked down (CKD) units and it is on track to start local assembly at its Tamil Nadu plant next year. It makes the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Velar, and Evoque in India (Pune plant). CKD units attract a 15 per cent basic customs duty. Possibilities remain on assembling JLR's Defender model in India, given the fact that the car is manufactured at the manufacturer's Slovakia plant, which is outside the purview of the India-UK FTA. The quota and the duty structure vary with the type of engine, and therefore industry insiders say these British luxury cars may be cheaper by 50 per cent or more. The industry is still studying the fine print of the deal. McLaren has sold around 50 cars in India since 2022 while Rolls Royce is estimated to have sold around 60 cars in 2023 (the latest data is not available). 'We welcome this FTA, which over time will deliver reduced tariff access to the Indian car market for JLR's luxury vehicles,' a JLR spokesperson said in a statement, adding that India was an important market for the company's British-built products and represented significant growth opportunities. In a separate query regarding a change in the pricing of imported products, a UK-based spokesperson said: 'No decisions have been made.' In a recent interview Martin Limpert, global managing director for Range Rover, had said the Defender was a 'very successful' car in the Indian market, and hence it was 'natural' for them to look at local production. At present, a few high-value sport vehicles of JLR are imported as completely built units (CBUs) and those will stand to benefit. Players that sell both CKD and CBU models will stand to benefit. Domestic carmakers like Mahindra & Mahindra and Maruti Suzuki that have European ambitions too stand to benefit. Maruti sells the eVitara in the UK. Anish Shah, chief executive officer and managing director, Mahindra group, said: 'We believe deeply in the power of such cross-border partnerships to unlock economic potential, create high-quality jobs, and accelerate progress in future-facing sectors from green mobility and clean energy to digital technologies and advanced manufacturing.' As Indian industry becomes increasingly global, 'we look forward to contributing meaningfully to this next chapter of UK-India cooperation'. The Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) welcomed the deal and hoped it fostered greater market access, technology partnerships, and value chain integration between the Indian and British automotive industries. The deal is expected to benefit the Indian auto-component sector through enhanced opportunities for export, streamlined regulatory processes, particularly in key areas such as electric mobility, precision engineering, and lightweight materials, ACMA President Shradha Suri Marwah said in a statement.
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business Standard
Luxury cars and bikes to get cheaper with India-UK free trade agreement
India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is likely to boost market access for high-end luxury cars thanks to lower tariffs. However, players like Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) already make 60 percent of the cars they sell in India locally. Possibilities remain to assemble the Defender model in India in the future, given that the car is currently manufactured at the carmaker's Slovakia plant, which is outside the purview of the India-UK FTA. Under the UK-India FTA, tariffs on automotive imports will come down from 110 percent to 10 percent under various quotas (for different powertrains) on both sides. JLR is likely to be the biggest beneficiary of this move. Players like Aston Martin (which sold less than 25 cars in India in 2024, according to market sources), Rolls-Royce, and McLaren are also likely to benefit from the reduced import duty. The quota and the duty structure vary with engine type, and therefore, industry insiders believe these British luxury cars could be cheaper by 50 percent or more. The industry is still studying the fine print of the deal. McLaren has sold around 50 cars in India since 2022, while Rolls-Royce is estimated to have sold around 60 cars in 2023 (the latest data is not available). "We welcome this free trade agreement between the UK and India, which over time will deliver reduced tariff access to the Indian car market for JLR's luxury vehicles," a JLR spokesperson said in a statement, adding that India is an important market for the company's British-built products and represents significant future growth opportunities. In a separate query regarding a change in pricing of imported products into the Indian market, a UK-based spokesperson said, "No decisions have been made on pricing." Interestingly, the remaining 40 percent of JLR cars sold in India include the Defender range, which is manufactured at the Nitra plant in Slovakia and falls outside the scope of this FTA. In a recent interview, Martin Limpert, Global MD for Range Rover, had said that the Defender is a 'very successful' car in the Indian market, and hence it is 'natural' for them to look into local production. 'Defender is a big volume car, very successful for us in the Indian market, so yes, it's natural for us to look into that (local production). We wouldn't exclude it,' he said. At the moment, a few high-value SV models of JLR are imported as completely built units from the UK, which will stand to benefit. Apart from luxury cars, bike enthusiasts can be happy too – players like Triumph, which sell both CKD and CBU models, will stand to benefit. Triumph sold around 30,000 bikes in India in 2024. The success in India is partly attributed to the partnership with Bajaj, which resulted in the introduction of the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X models. Domestic carmakers like Mahindra & Mahindra and Maruti Suzuki, who have European ambitions, also stand to benefit. Maruti sells the e-Vitara in the UK, and Mahindra has plans for European expansion. Anish Shah, Group CEO and MD, Mahindra Group, says, 'At Mahindra, we believe deeply in the power of such cross-border partnerships to unlock economic potential, create high-quality jobs, and accelerate progress in future-facing sectors such as green mobility, clean energy, digital technologies, and advanced manufacturing.' He added that as the Indian industry becomes increasingly global in its footprint and ambition, Mahindra looks forward to contributing meaningfully to this next chapter of UK-India cooperation. The Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) welcomed the deal and hoped that it will foster greater market access, technology partnerships, and value chain integration between the Indian and British automotive industries. The deal is expected to benefit the Indian auto component sector through enhanced opportunities for exports, streamlined regulatory processes, particularly in key areas such as electric mobility, precision engineering, and lightweight materials, ACMA President Shradha Suri Marwah said in a statement.