NEW Land Rover Defender!

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Land Rover confirms new version of its Defender model

The new version of the Defender will be based on the DC100 concept vehicle
Land Rover will release an all-new version of its Defender model in 2015, it has confirmed.

The carmaker has also released the first images of the concept car upon which the new Defender will be based, the DC100.

This is set to make its public debut at next month's Frankfurt motor show.

The first Land Rover was introduced in 1948 and its basic design has changed little over the past six decades. More than two million have now been sold.

The Defender name was first used in the early 1990s, shortly after the launch of the Discovery.

Land Rover insists its next Defender will be a rugged workhorse, having ruled out moving it upmarket as a luxurious car that simply looks butch on the outside.

But competing in the market for working vehicles will be a major challenge.

Land Rover can no longer rely on military contracts, so more promising markets might be in developing countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and China, where working vehicle sales are booming in parallel with rapid economic growth that is predicted to continue for decades yet.

To succeed in these markets, a new Defender will need to be able to compete on both price and quality.

It will need to be both cheaper - so the cost of production will need to come down - and better, in terms of both capabilities and fuel economy.

And arguably, the overhaul cannot come too soon for a vehicle that now feels hopelessly outdated next to the company's latest offering, the Range Rover Evoque.

Evoque to leave Defender in the dust?
Land Rover's director of design, Gerry McGovern, said: "Replacing the iconic Defender is one of the biggest challenges in the automotive design world; it is a car that inspires people worldwide.

"[The DC100] isn't a production-ready concept but the beginning of a four-year journey to design a relevant Defender for the 21st century."

John Edwards, Land Rover's global brand director, added that the company was "determined that the new Defender will be true to its heritage, while meeting the requirements of a changing global market".

UK-based Land Rover and its sister brand Jaguar are owned by India's Tata Motors.

"Land Rover insists its next Defender will be a rugged workhorse, having ruled out moving it upmarket as a luxurious car that simply looks butch on the outside," says BBC business reporter Jorn Madslien.

"But competing in the market for working vehicles will be a major challenge."

Land Rover can no longer rely on military contracts, so more promising markets might be in emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia, India and China, where working vehicle sales are booming in parallel with rapid economic growth that is predicted to continue for decades yet.

"To succeed in these markets, a new Defender will need to be able to compete on both price and quality," says our reporter.

"It will need to be both cheaper - so the cost of production will need to come down - and better, in terms of both capabilities and fuel economy."

Well I never. Looking forward to seeing how this develops.
 
This is great news, I wonder if they will stick with the retro look or make it look like a smaller Evoque (even though they said its going to be a workhorse vehicle). Tata obviously is swimming in cash at the moment with all these new Jag's and Landy's coming out.
 
land_rover_dc100_concept_2_610x457.jpg

land_rover_dc100_concept_1_270x202.jpg

For comparason,
land_rover_defender_610x417.jpg

I just hope they sell it over here!
 
So Land Rover are planning to release an all new Defender? Interesting.

I quite like the design of the DC100 and I'm interested in seeing how this concept will develop over the next 4 years. Of course, making such a radical change to the design of a vehicle that's remained virtually unaltered for the past few decades will cause a stir.
 
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So Land Rover are planning to release an all new Defender? Interesting.

They are, but as the article states, they're still four years away yet. It's not an easy job so it's good to see they're taking it slowly and giving us previews to judge perception of early studies.

Looks like a mixture of a Skoda Yeti and the Range Rover Evoque.

You aren't the first one to have said something along those lines. From the early reception I've seen a lot of people really, really don't like this concept, but it does get me wondering how many of those who don't like it are even Defender owners in the first place, or ever would be even when they do replace it!

It'd be like me complaining about a new F-Series pickup even though I'm never likely to buy one.
 
Seems to have a Nissan Cube rear and roofline, they clearly have put some Evoque in it but it doesn't have any resemblance to the original defender at all. It looks like it could have come from any manufacturer if it didn't have the badges which is kind of a let down.

But I guess as its meant to be a utility vehicle most are not going to care what it looks like.

Robin.
 
That Defender concept (posted above) really reminds me of the '04 Ford Bronco concept. To be honest, it doesn't look that utilitarian, it just looks like a smaller, even boxier, Range Rover Sport. I can't really imagine this in British Army trim. However, I will give it a chance because that is a concept and the production version will probably be a lot more utilitarian, like it should be. There is no doubt that this is a very difficult task for Land-Rover... they're replacing one of motoring's biggest icons. I hope they succeed and I wish them good luck.
 
Apparently the UK Land Rover Club thinks its horrid, when the editor got the pictures he thought they were fake. Land Rover need to turn this around pretty sharpish. Really some of these high up designers think they know it all.... :rolleyes:

The club also said it looks most like the Kia Soul which is so true!

2009-kia-soul-front.jpg
 
Apparently the UK Land Rover Club thinks its horrid, when the editor got the pictures he thought they were fake. Land Rover need to turn this around pretty sharpish. Really some of these high up designers think they know it all.... :rolleyes:

I suspect we'll see several more concepts in the intervening four years before a new model is released.

Whether people hate it or not it's doing exactly what a concept is designed to do: drawing attention.
 
The only really objectionable part is the silly headlight/eyeshadow thing... but the boxy concept really does try to stick faithfully to the utilitarian nature of the Defender. I like the honeycomb C-pillar... functional, unlike so many current SUVs which have rear-quarter blind spots the size of a Greyhound Bus.
 
both cheaper and better

They might not have to work a lot on the outside for that.
I guess since they have to renew the concept an new look is imminent. I prefer the old one, been crazy about them lately. Can not explain it:

220811-1.jpg
 
They've sawn off the front of a Discovery and stuck it on a Defender.

They've ruined the name, basically :grumpy: It still looks alright, but they need to keep its looks to keep the name.
 
I suspect we'll see several more concepts in the intervening four years before a new model is released.

Whether people hate it or not it's doing exactly what a concept is designed to do: drawing attention.

For sure they are going to hone the design over the next couple of years but you still want to make a good first impression and seeing as the core audience (the Landy enthusiasts and owners) for the most part aren't pleased its not a good start.

I doubt a company like Land Rover are going to aim to displease people just for the shock effect. With other concepts like the Range Stormer and LRX the initial response was very positive which lead to their production (Sport & Evoque).

I don't even know where this need to totally redesign the Defender came from anyway, as far as I'm aware it was selling fine in its current form and the target market was pretty happy with it. I mean look at it! :drool:

Land-Rover-Defender-110-SVX-2.jpg


It's a good thing they didn't slap the Defender lettering on the bonnet of the concept so they can quietly sweep it under the carpet later if need be.
 
For sure they are going to hone the design over the next couple of years but you still want to make a good first impression and seeing as the core audience (the Landy enthusiasts and owners) for the most part aren't pleased its not a good start.

I doubt a company like Land Rover are going to aim to displease people just for the shock effect. With other concepts like the Range Stormer and LRX the initial response was very positive which lead to their production (Sport & Evoque).

They're essentially dipping a toe in the water I think. It's a very difficult vehicle to replace because the original was designed entirely for function, rather than form, at a time when there was no option to do otherwise.

Modern technology means they can make something as functional as the original, but they now have a chance to change the look to fit in more with the other LR and RR models.

I doubt they've set out to displease people - it just happens that Defender fans are some of the hardest to please of all motorists because they're the people who've prevented LR from developing the original car in the first place!

The concept is good, because if LR doesn't know what people don't like, they can't develop something that people do like.

I don't even know where this need to totally redesign the Defender came from anyway, as far as I'm aware it was selling fine in its current form and the target market was pretty happy with it. I mean look at it! :drool:

There are lots of problems with the current one, actually. The first is that it's main customer, the British Army, now has a vehicle that's seriously down on technology for the warzone and the Defender is virtually beyond developing further. So they need a new one.

The market for Defenders isn't as big as you think either - just think about how many brand new ones you see on the road - I suspect it isn't many. This is because by most accounts the Defender is absolutely hideous to drive. Modern Land Rovers and Range Rovers are getting close to being as good off-road as the Defender is now, but with far more on-road comfort. So that's another reason to develop a new version - I reckon they could happily make one that defeats everything off road without being awful on it.

The other reason is that JLR will start having a lot of trouble trying to keep the Defender up to modern safety and emissions standards. As far as I'm aware it's one of the last modern vehicles not to have an airbag and its current engine range is from the Transit van.

I'd definitely recommend reading Evo's Richard Meaden's blog on replacing the Defender - he sums up the problem of renewing it very well. And points out that a vast majority of the people complaining about it being replaced have never and will never be Defender owners...
 
They're essentially dipping a toe in the water I think. It's a very difficult vehicle to replace because the original was designed entirely for function, rather than form, at a time when there was no option to do otherwise.

Modern technology means they can make something as functional as the original, but they now have a chance to change the look to fit in more with the other LR and RR models.

I doubt they've set out to displease people - it just happens that Defender fans are some of the hardest to please of all motorists because they're the people who've prevented LR from developing the original car in the first place!

The concept is good, because if LR doesn't know what people don't like, they can't develop something that people do like.

I understand LR's viewpoint of making its design language fit with the rest of the brand but I think they would be better off taking the retro route with such an iconic vehicle. It's a bit like how for example the New Beetle looks nothing like the rest of the VW range, its a design unto itself. I feel that's the direction which would please the target audience the most. A good designer can make something look aesthetically pleasing even if its purely functional.

But its still early days for this design.

There are lots of problems with the current one, actually. The first is that it's main customer, the British Army, now has a vehicle that's seriously down on technology for the warzone and the Defender is virtually beyond developing further. So they need a new one.

The market for Defenders isn't as big as you think either - just think about how many brand new ones you see on the road - I suspect it isn't many. This is because by most accounts the Defender is absolutely hideous to drive. Modern Land Rovers and Range Rovers are getting close to being as good off-road as the Defender is now, but with far more on-road comfort. So that's another reason to develop a new version - I reckon they could happily make one that defeats everything off road without being awful on it.

The other reason is that JLR will start having a lot of trouble trying to keep the Defender up to modern safety and emissions standards. As far as I'm aware it's one of the last modern vehicles not to have an airbag and its current engine range is from the Transit van.

Well there is the potential to market it to the armies of emerging nations, ones which are small and maybe don't have their own equivalent. Like how there are many parts of the world with 1980's Hilux's running all over the place. Even outside of military applications there is a huge market for 4x4's in such markets and LR have stated thats what they want to aim the next defender to but I think they could have done just as well selling the old one.

There are still some who buy them a status symbols regardless of how uncomfortable they are and I've seen some stunning ones which have been given as much attention as someone would give a supercar. I saw a 110 SVX Special Edition fully kitted out even with the snorkel... in the center of London, it had never seen a piece of grass in its life!

I'd definitely recommend reading Evo's Richard Meaden's blog on replacing the Defender - he sums up the problem of renewing it very well. And points out that a vast majority of the people complaining about it being replaced have never and will never be Defender owners...

I will definitely have a read of it.

Another thing which springs to mind out of all of this is the Mercedes G-Class, now thats the route LR should follow because its still a stunning vehicle with just a few face lifts and the funny thing its its even older than the Defender. Same purpose, same world, same issues and Merc doesn't seem to be replacing it any time soon.

Robin.
 
I understand LR's viewpoint of making its design language fit with the rest of the brand but I think they would be better off taking the retro route with such an iconic vehicle. It's a bit like how for example the New Beetle looks nothing like the rest of the VW range, its a design unto itself. I feel that's the direction which would please the target audience the most. A good designer can make something look aesthetically pleasing even if its purely functional.

I'd actually disagree with going too knowingly-retro. I'd rather see a completely fresh but focused design true to the car's routes.

Someone on that Evo blog made a good comment - they said to think of the Defender as the 4WD equivalent of a Ford Transit - built to do a job as well as it's possible to do that job, be rugged without being falsely "tough" (I'm paraphrasing - these are my thoughts extrapolated from the comment), be simple to mend, and not so glitzy that you worry about getting it dirty or bashed.

I think going deliberately retro would take it too far towards the trinkety glitz that people would be loathe to take it off road for fear of damaging it.

It's ironic the Skoda Yeti was mentioned as that car is verging on the right level of throwaway toughness about it. Older Subaru Foresters were the same. Comfy and capable without worrying that you'll scratch it all the time.

Well there is the potential to market it to the armies of emerging nations, ones which are small and maybe don't have their own equivalent. Like how there are many parts of the world with 1980's Hilux's running all over the place. Even outside of military applications there is a huge market for 4x4's in such markets and LR have stated thats what they want to aim the next defender to but I think they could have done just as well selling the old one.

There's that potential, but that's all the more reason to start out with a clean sheet design that'll allow them to make even more money from it.

Incidentally, you see very few Land Rovers out in the deserts of the Middle East and so-on. They all buy Land Cruisers and Patrols because they're more comfortable and they don't break down - two challenges the next Defender must meet.

Another thing which springs to mind out of all of this is the Mercedes G-Class, now thats the route LR should follow because its still a stunning vehicle with just a few face lifts and the funny thing its its even older than the Defender. Same purpose, same world, same issues and Merc doesn't seem to be replacing it any time soon.

By all accounts the G-Wagen is also absolutely awful to drive as well as being hilariously expensive, so those aren't things I think Land Rover is keen to replicate. The G-Wagen was a similar concept to the Defender originally but just one look at the car today tells you it's in a completely different market now.

I think the G's main market now is actually for building armoured cars. Mercedes-Benz World in Surrey has an armoured one in with windows an inch and a half thick... suspect there are a few of those knocking about around the world...
 
From that picture of it on the rocks, it looks like it at least has IFS which I'm hoping is due to it being built on the Freelander (LR2) chassis just for the show (to just show off the design rather than the chassis/drivetrain). I really hope they keep it solid axles f/r, though who really knows at this point if the engineers will still be as forgiving with certain aspects as Jeep is with the Wrangler.

I admit though, I am a fan of the current Defender's styling. I love boxy designs, the fender flares, the giant mudflaps, and just the overall shape of it. The current model is trucky and tough (the way I like it), but they were also able to make it look somewhat civilized. I'm surprised they couldn't just attempt to retrofit it for the current standards and start selling it in the US again.
 
I've held off from posting an opinion on this for a few days so that I can think about it a bit.

One of the things that worries me about a Defender redesign is the risk of alienating the sort of person who buys them. Everyone I know with a Defender/90/110/Series Landy likes them because they're simple, fairly easy to fix, and you don't need to worry about breaking it. The concept looks like none of those things. Even with the current Defender, Land Rover seems to be making them more and more complicated - I sat in one at Goodwood on the LR stand that had heated leather seats, for crying out loud - and the more there is to go wrong, the less it will appeal to the current crop of Defender owners. I don't want to be wondering what will happen to the interior of the car when there's a bow wave around the headlights. Richard Hammond got it right some years ago when he said a Defender is at its best after it has matured, preferably in a barn, for about 20 years or so.

However...

Everyone I know with a Defender/90/110/Series Landy has one thing in common - they all bought their cars second hand. The Defender has to move with the times in order to survive, and if buyers of new Defenders want something like the concept, then so be it; we can always rip out all the unnessary stuff later. Or just buy an ex-military version.

Looks? Far to modern-chic. A Defender is a workhorse, not a fashion statement... and every time I see someone in a polished, personalised-number-plated Defender in the middle of a city I die a little inside. Even that 60th Anniversary that Robin. posted makes me cringe, and that's from a showroom. It should be designed primerily with function in mind. Concept cars are almost always completely opposite to that - looks above all else. Here's hoping the production car will be more in line with the current Defender's function-first ideals.

The honeycomb rear pillars are genius, though. Should be mandatory on all cars :dopey:
 
..from what I have heard on "teh internet".* The next defender and the style concept being talked about on this thread will be somewhat different.

Basically, the basic utilitarian landy idea is being pushed on to create a vehicle to challenge the hilux etc range but also retaining the adaptability of the landy platform. If it is what it is made up to be the next Defender could double up as a brilliant multipurpose lightweight (ish) military/off-road wagon as well as a chic chelsea tractor vehicle.

Landrover know there beans, look at their history, they are one of the few BMC/BL companies to have pulled out the other side with a reputation on a par with when they went into the nationalised car world. There is a gap in the market, a modern and versatile 90/110 4x4 and its ready for the taking.

Finally... IIRC the current defender has to go due to new EU crash regs (not surprising since the pedestrian "protection" hasn't changed since the 40.

*source is a bloke on a another forum who knows someone on "the team" said "bloke" has been a trustworthy source before.
 
If the honeycomb pillars don't make it, then all talk of it being utilitarian are for naught.

There is nothing more utilitarian than a good view out back so you can back your trailer up to the barn.

-----

Land Rover Defenders over here are more fashion statements than workhorses. In fact, the only Defender working trucks you see around here are twenty year old (yes, Hammond got it right) Defenders that some enthusiast has lovingly restored solely for the purpose of destroying it again with a good off-road thrashing.

Globally, the Defender doesn't make much of an impact compared to working-class Toyota Hiluxes and their ilk. And war zones are more likely to contain Land Cruisers than Land Rovers...

With matching Indian facilities, Land Rover has a chance of expanding its market and creating a truly proletarian Defender... one perhaps undercutting the Freelander, providing basic 4WD and the same type of flexibility the old convertible hardtop did (instead of featuring something that sort of looks like a hardtop as a styling exercise).

Perhaps it might even look like this:
800px-1998_Suzuki_Jimny_01.jpg


That's another (almost) iconic off-roader that has changed little over time, but has at least evolved in terms of looks and has benefited from continuous chassis development. I'd cite the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, but Jeep is, curiously, deathly afraid to alter the looks of the Wrangler even one iota...
 
ed in terms of looks and has benefited from continuous chassis development. I'd cite the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, but Jeep is, curiously, deathly afraid to alter the looks of the Wrangler even one iota...

I'd go so far as to suggest that the car-buying public has very little idea of what they want, but what they think they want is an improved version of what they have already (that's why retro sells), which is a nightmare for companies like Jeep or Land Rover with iconic models like the Defender and Wrangler as it leaves them too scared to change anything, and then that ends up being terrible for making money.

As soon as someone has the balls to change something - like bring out a new concept for a Defender - everyone jumps on their back about it. The Defender is a bad example actually because as Roo points out, and I mentioned earlier, one of the great things about the current model is that it's simple to mend, and it's a workhorse that does the job required of it.

However, it's also crap at a lot of things and I reckon LR has it in them somewhere to not be scared by everyone asking for the same old stuff, but offer something that can meet the needs of the modern world whilst still meeting the needs of its more traditional customers.

Hell, they've managed it with the Range Rover. Massively sophisticated, but still classless and brilliant off-road like the original.

I personally find petrolheads quite stuck in the mud about what they like. It's just as well manufacturers do what they do and continue advancing, because if car fans had their way we'd still all be driving around in the sort of crap we had in the 1980s.
 
I think had the Defender had a couple updates - something akin to CJ7-Wrangler TJ/YJ/JK, it might not be so shocking. Unfortunately, I think the most offensive thing on this is the grille. It's not quite Defender enough. Looks too Range-Rover, too slim, not tall enough, not upright enough, same with the lights. It needs more actual Defender cues. I honestly thought it was an LR3 replacement when I looked at it at first.
 
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