Defender Might be on the way out

Aug 2 2011

Is Land Rover on the verge of dropping the Defender from its range?  Motoring website AutoExpress reports that this option is definitely on the cards for company bosses who have to decide what to do with the trusted 4x4 brand.

Colin Green, the MD of Land Rover UK, said in an interview with AutoExpress that it was a huge challenge to come up with the right plan.  He added “If we get it wrong we are messing up one of the industry’s biggest icons, and in that sense it’s a tremendous responsibility.”

Green says they are also considering other options, such as a complete makeover or fitting the Defender with a range of “cleaner” engines.

A few car finance buyers will even remember when the first Defender rolled off the production line.  This happened way back in 1947 and since then it has crept into the hearts of many people.  It meets Euro V emissions regulations for at least five years and many utility companies, rescue services and farmers still rely on its off-road abilities.

The tricky part, says Green, is to keep the core functionalities of the vehicle, but to expand its appeal to a wider market.

One possibility is to see a new Defender built on the same platform as the Range Rover Sport and the Discovery.  That would, however, inevitably make the Defender much more expensive.

A second option is to fit the current model with a range of Euro VI engines.  According to Green, their last resort is to phase out the Defender range completely.

Author - Louise Hutchinson
 

More from LANDROVER News

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---