Land Rover has surged ahead in leaps and bounds since its acquisition by Tata in 2008 – especially with the development of the eye-catching Evoque. But there are still questions regarding the future of its most iconic offering – the Defender – questions the firm hopes to address with the unveiling of a concept vehicle at the upcoming Frankfurt Show.
Replacing what is essentially a 63-year old multi-role vehicle is no mean feat, and while the Frankfurt concept may not be that closely aligned to the finished article, it will allow Land Rover to test the waters and see if it’s on the right track with its replacement.
Speaking with Autocar, Land Rover brand director John Edwards explained that developing a new Defender would be an exercise fraught with considerations that could make or break the future of such a model.
Good enough for the army
True to its roots, the new Defender would have to be adaptable enough to meet the needs of armed forces the world over – partly due to the strong legacy of military service that has aided the brand’s rugged, serviceable reputation as well as the sales stemming from military contracts that care the lifeblood of such projects. According to Edwards, the new Defender, which is expected to emerge in 2015, will be required to sell in annual volumes of between 60 000 and 80 000 units to be economically viable – quite the challenge when you consider that just 18 000 Defenders were sold last year.
Tough and cheap enough for the public
Another obstacle facing the future Defender is that of cost and complexity considerations. In an SUV/pick-up market that Edwards describes as “cut-throat”, Land Rover will battle to produce a new Defender that will meet its high-volume rivals in terms of price. The challenge lies in producing a new vehicle with sufficient distinct advantages over such rivals to justify the price premium that its lower volume will inevitably dictate. The firm is currently considering the use of a mechanically pared-down version of the Discovery platform to provide a robust, serviceable underpinning for the new vehicle without incurring too many development costs. Such a platform would have to meet the age-old Defender provisos of being able to accommodate several body types (pick-up, crew cab, long- and short-wheelbase) and being easily repairable in remote areas. That said, the company has not yet dismissed the idea of developing a model-specific chassis, but this option could well compound any cost-related issues.
End result may not please everyone
While Edwards states that he “can’t imagine not producing a successor” to the Defender, he’s aware that there are a number of considerations that may affect the new model’s appeal. Emissions and crash safety standards have been nipping at the heels of the ageing Defender and may entail stylistic, packaging and powerplant-related compromises that could alienate it from buyers seeking a model true to the no-nonsense original. With such a strong following and the accompanying raft of strong opinions, Edwards admits that the final product “won’t please everyone” ad that the challenge will be to please most of them and more importantly, attract new buyers when the model goes on sale in 2015.
