Volkswagen is considering adding a rugged all-electric Land Rover Defender rival to its upcoming line-up of I.D.-badged vehicles, Auto Express has learned.

VW bosses revealed that the brand is mulling over entering the off-roader marketplace, going toe to toe with the likes of the Jeep Wrangler and the next Defender. But Volkswagen will stand out from the crowd by offering a pure-electric model. The SUV could arrive sooner than you'd think as VW's head of design Klaus Bischoff told us: “Maybe one of the next ID. family members is a more rugged [SUV], let’s see.”

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American EV start-up Rivian has already revealed a large, seven-seat SUV featuring traditionally boxy proportions and a promise of off-road capability when it goes into production in 2020. But the proposed VW offering would be unapologetically a tough off-roader.

Volkswagen's head of strategy Michael Jost explained: “There are no producers in this sector yet, [building] a robust electric car that loves scratches and wears them as a badge of honour.”

Jost told us he is championing the idea internally at the company, and he issued the details to our sister title Auto Bild to use the public reaction as leverage to convince the rest of the board.