A Jaguar Land Rover executive has revealed there is currently “no plan” to include a bakkie body style in the new Defender range, but admits it is “being considered”.
Speaking to whichcar.com.au, Jaguar Land Rover Australia managing director Mark Cameron said “we are not going to have that body style for us unfortunately in Australia”.
“At the moment, there is no plan globally; it’s not just an Australian thing,” he added. When pushed further, he said: “It is interesting at the moment; it is being considered, definitely.”
Of course, the new Defender will ride on a monocoque chassis rather than a body-on-frame configuration, which might make it tricky to develop a load-lugging bakkie version.
“I think if we had a competitively positioned pick-up in Australia it would do really well. But these things are always driven by global business cases; there needs to be sufficient volume,” Cameron told the publication.
“There are other markets that would do quite well with that product – Africa, North America, and the Middle East – but we have got to make sure that we can deliver the car that we have designed and then possible further expansions.
“What I am saying to head office is that it would be a fantastic product in Australia, as the top three selling cars here are pick-ups.”
Interestingly, the publication furthermore speculated Land Rover could partner with another automaker to create a Defender-badged bakkie…
