Land Rover planning to replace its iconic Defender SUV


By BRADFORD WERNLE | Automotive News Europe

MONTREUX, Switzerland -- Land Rover is planning to replace its iconic Defender SUV.

The Defender was the first model introduced by Land Rover when the company was started 56 years ago.

The SUV is sold in more than 140 countries. It was originally designed for farm and light industrial use.

"The Defender is important. It is one of the few genuine icons. Our challenge now is to see how we can successfully take it forward and make it a 21st century icon," Matthew Taylor, Land Rover managing director, told the Automotive News Europe Congress here.

Land Rover sells 27,000 Defenders a year.

It is likely that the new Defender will be built on the Land Rover T5 platform, the same platform used for the new Discovery 3, which goes on sale later this year.

Defender production peaked at 69,802 in 1997. Land Rover made 28,315 units of the SUV in 2003. This includes kit production in South Africa, Brazil and Malaysia, according to Global Insight.

The UK-based management consultancy predicts a new-generation Defender will arrive in late 2007 and would likely pass the 40,000 annual production mark.

Land Rover has opened 25 new Land Rover Experience centers around the world in the last 18 months.

New Land Rover buyers are invited to the centers for training in off-road driving and how to get the most from their vehicles.

Ford Motor Co. bought Land Rover from BMW four years ago when the German automaker sold the Rover group.

Land Rover is moving to simplify its platform strategy. Currently, each of its four models has its own platform.

In the future, Land Rover will produce more models on fewer platforms, possibly as few as two.




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I don't give two craps, I couldn't ask more of the current Defender anyways for my purposes, all this means to me is that I can stick to what I know and love and not have to adapt to a new vehicle. The current Defender will remain useful for our purposes, as well as those of 90% of its current customer base, for many years to come.

This should really come as no surprise to anyone. We as enthusiast are stuck with two choices:

1) Land Rover keeps making the current models and very quickly becomes "outdated" by the competition and thus sales drop off. Ultimately this would spell demise for Land Rover. This is bad I think we'll all agree.

2) Land Rover (Ford) changes production processes and integrates technology from several of it's "premium" brands. This sharing of technology and parts cost way less in the R & D department not to mention parts and ultimately the training the techs recieve. This saves money and allows a company to turn more profit. This will keep Land Rover around for many more years.

Personally I like the LR3. I think it's about time Land Rover got with the times and put a "real" powerplant in these trucks. It will never be the live axle trucks we all love, but other than Jeep nobody makes those anymore anyway. I also suspect that reliability will increase with these newer trucks thus improving the public image of Land Rover.

Seth, you should have bought that "real" d-90 from your bud when you had the chance. Your destined for an '07 knock-off now... :flipoff2:

Seth, you should have bought that "real" d-90 from your bud when you had the chance. Your destined for an '07 knock-off now... :flipoff2:
Between, my upcoming wedding, buying a house, and rebuilding of mini's engine.....I'm gonna be broke.

Import requirements are that they vehicle be 25 years old. When did the defender begin production?
I see that as the next wave.

When did the defender begin production?

The Ninety and One-Ten began production in 1983/84. The Defender badged vehicles began production in 1990/91 (or thereabouts) when the 200Tdi was first fitted to them.

So another 4 years to wait at minimum.

That wave has already began, especially in Vermont where so long as you get the truck in the country, they only enforce a 15 year rule. Hence why a certain friend of mine has a 1986 ex-mil 90, registered as a 1986 Land Rover 90 and insured as the same. The VIN number even scans on the states computers.

I noticed that as well. I met a nice d130 from Westford, VT when I was up in East Burke mountain biking a few weeks ago. Talked to him at length and he told me he did something very similar.

You still have to get across the border....that's not always as easy as it sounds. Trust me I know......I was sweating bullets getting my mini across the border(not that there was anything untoward happening if there are any customs agents among us :rolleyes: ). I was very thankful I was the last one to the border station as they closed it up due to a hazmat spill on the Canadian side. 18 wheeler full of car batteries tipped over....no border guard wanted to go out an inspect my new car, for fear of toxic air.
Something tells me they are more vigilant today.

Well fine, but all I know is that where theres a will theres a way, and if I were so inclined I know I could get myself a pre-1989 Land Rover into the country and register it as such. If you don't want to, then don't.