Land Rover Defender will appeal to new generation, design chief says.
"The new Land Rover Defender has been designed to attract both owners of the recently discontinued model as well as a new generation of buyers, said the brand's design boss, Gerry"
I was at an agricultural show yesterday. The car park, for all those who'd arrived with livestock trailers, told you everything that GM really ought to know about what attracts the "owners of the recently discontinued model"; apart from a couple of elderly Defenders and Disco 2's, it was filled with all of the usual suspects from Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu and Mitsubishi. The local Land Rover dealer's stand had a used Defender and an Isuzu on it, but no staff to be seen and Zero effort expended.
During the time that Land Rover and their dealers have been sleeping on the job with the Defender, the market has moved on; buying habits have changed and dealer and brand loyalties have shifted.
Farm workers treat the regular "news" on the new Defender with some contempt; the best quote I've heard being "I've known castrated bulls come faster than the new Defender". If it actually is as close as 2018, as GM says, why haven't there been any pictures (other than the done-to-death DC100) turning up? Manufacturers usually leak something before now, if only to delay people from going to buy something else.
buying habits have changed and dealer and brand loyalties have shifted
But what is the size of the market that they've relinquished hold of? Defender was their lowest-selling product - perhaps it's all part of the plan.
If you take into account all of the global market that they've relinquished to the likes of Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu and Mitsubishi over the last 50 years, the market was massive. Much as I love the Defender, it was an antique that the bulk of the traditional global market lost interest in many years ago. If their plan was to reduce the numbers sold to a trickle, by starving the Defender of investment and development for so many years and driving their customers elsewhere, then they've done the trick!
The longer it takes LR to ever launch the next Defender the better................ I had an offer of £15,000 from an LR specialist in May for my 21 year old Defender 90 County SW with 88000 miles on the odo and apart from a galvanized chassis and a replacement transfer box it has not needed any other replacement components and is as it left the factory. That was a 50% increase on what he offered me last year for it!
buying habits have changed and dealer and brand loyalties have shifted
But what is the size of the market that they've relinquished hold of? Defender was their lowest-selling product - perhaps it's all part of the plan.
Old thread, but...
Here in the US, you can more than double the purchase price of a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon by adding custom Ostrich leather, winches, lifts, Dana's, enough LED lights for a football stadium, aftermarket stereos, engine bits, and so on. Jeep, mostly the Wrangler, is more or less keeping FCA afloat in America - there were nearly 200,000 Wranglers sold in 2016 in the US alone. Unfortunately, you also get terrible reliability and even worse service (perhaps familiar to many non-US Defender owners...).
A New Defender priced in the high $30K's to start, mid/high-$50K's loaded would sell very well. In 2001, 1997 D90 (last year Defenders were offered in the US due to airbag laws) were already selling for more than they were worth new, now even crappy examples start at $30K. Nice examples push $100K, and there's a robust "import" market. Toyota FJ Cruisers are now appreciating since they stopped selling them here a few years ago - a 2010 with 51,000 miles lists for $27K. And you can pay Land Rover to drive a Defender at their Experience Centers. There's plenty of demand here.
Hmm if you cannot shove a couple of ewes in the back it’s not a Defender. But I think I may want one ,maybe CO’s I don’t have any sheep these days and I really like the 5
F50, Fourtack, LR3 and now..............D5 HSE TDV6
Hmm if you cannot shove a couple of ewes in the back it’s not a Defender. But I think I may want one ,maybe CO’s I don’t have any sheep these days and I really like the 5
"Hardtop and soft-top body styles will be offered on both wheelbase choices and will be joined by pickup and other variants appearing a little later..."
Seems like you could get a couple collies or ewes in the LWB and/or pickup versions no problem.
That said, modern crash standards are a b tch, so expecting things like easily removable rear seats leaving a flat load floor may be too much to ask.
You cannot create new threads in this forum You cannot reply to threads in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
tch, so expecting things like easily removable rear seats leaving a flat load floor may be too much to ask.