Morepower wrote:

I would be very surprised if LR ever build another commercial vehicle... It just doesn't fit their market demographic... We may see a new 'Defender'... However I feel it'll be a lifestyle toy... Built as a feeder to the more expensive LR/RR products... Sort of a LR light class... Pricing will be an issue... Too high and it'll take away sales of the Evoke/Disco sport and too low and it will de-value the brand....
LR are all about image and sales... A few keen enthusiasts like ourselves don't make up much of a market...Especially when you consider that, even with commercial sales of the 'Current' Defender. LR struggled to make more than 20000 a year in sales...
I, like everyone on here would love to see a new LR that follows the tradition of a utility workhorse capable of just about going anywhere... However, I don't see it actually happening unfortunately..

Tim

100% agree. I've said it before..... expect a modern day 'Suzuki Santana' complete with surf board and ski accessories...  -------------------------------
👲� 1986 ex-Military 90 NAD 2.5 Soft Top. Sold
🇬🇧 2015 Defender 90 - Ripon Landrover Heritage 006

Supacat wrote:

http://dailysunknoxville.com/2019-land-rov...w/92003913

"Word has it that the closest we’ll be having a Defender return is 2019, though realistically a production model would reach past 2020.

At this point Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is mulling over how it would return and whether it is financially viable to do so. As per an Auto Evolution report the sales target set for the future comeback is 100,000 annually. Right now the demand is estimated at about 50,000 units per year, so that’s too much to ask for right now.

But demand can change; for instance just look at the Ford Bronco so many years after its demise. While there are talks that the Defender would go upmarket to contend with a growing luxury SUV market, it would be more judicious to retain the fundamental design of the Defender instead of positioning it so close to the Land Rover Discovery and Range Rover.

Seeing that this is just the preliminary stages of discussions, plenty can change over the next few years leading up to its return. The project may just end up being scrapped for all we know."

Supacat wrote:

Maybe a re-hash of an earlier story...

"There aren’t many vehicles that have the kind of history the Land Rover Defender has and its departure is indeed a sad sight. Not long after the last model has rolled out the assembly line there are already talks of a new model that’s some years away from now.

If the Defender is brought back it should arrive in 2019. However, discussions are underway for the off-road SUV and at this juncture it doesn’t seem quite commercially feasible to bring on the next-gen model, according to Auto Evolution.

Land Rover is aiming for 100,000 sales per year and the estimated demand for the Defender is about half of that, so there are doubts surrounding its return.

There is also the issue of how the next model would be positioned. Land Rover has to keep the SUV’s essential appearance to cater to fans of the nameplate, but there is also that desire to push the Defender upmarket due to the emergence of more luxury SUVs.

To be able to achieve more volume sales and manage a polished luxury aesthetic, though the two goals aren’t exactly mutually exclusive is a challenge, and if a solution cannot be reached then the Defender may either be pushed back past 2020 or the project may just be cancelled."

http://dailysunknoxville.com/doubts-over-2...k/92003541

I've been watching the Defender developments. I've had 2 Jeep Wranglers and I want something different if I go back to that market segment. Which I would in a heartbeat if Defender is done right and sells in the US.

I assume JLR has some reasonably smart people working for it, right? It doesn't take a Rocket Surgeon to see what the Defenders big competition will be. Jeep Wrangler and Wranlger Unlimited, and it could even cross over to the "true" SUV world in the longer wheelbase model.
It's an absolute no brainier to build an up to date Defender, especially if they qualify to sell in the US.
My local salesperson was briefed at a meeting earlier this year about the Defender and as far as they know, it's coming but they won't say when. If JLR sticks to what they told them, they should offer at least 3 wheelbases and configurations. (One two door and two four door models.)
Now they also need to offer the Defender in a wide range of trim options, from basic rugged to full Lux.That would allow them to compete extremely well with the US domestic market...AKA Jeep and some lux SUVs. Wranglers are not cheap anymore. Defender could compete price wise.
Jeep sells around 220,000 Wranglers in the US and Canaduh alone. That's a huge untapped, uncontested market. People in the US love their Jeeps but there are plenty who want something different. You see Jeeps at every stop light...YAWN!

Oh, they'll get their sales projections, they know they will. They also know that's IF they get it right and they HAVE to get the Defender right. If they do, it'll sell very, very well.

One thing that has been said in the articles I've read, but my salesman didn't mention, is that they are going to make the 4 door truck version as well. I've also read, and taken with a grain of salt, that the truck version is not coming to the US. Makes me wonder if it's true though since there was no mention of it from my salesman. Now this would be a YUGE mistake by JLR and I don't believe they would be so silly as to not sell the truck version in the US.
Four door trucks are EXTREMELY popular in the US. Midsize four door trucks are even making a comeback. JEEP is even building a.....you guessed it...a four door Wrangler truck. Yet another vehicle Defender could compete well with.

But I get it...they are going into a US market with a brand new vehicle cause they couldn't sell their old one here so there was no real reason for refinement and updates. They are going against an extremely refined and extremely popular competitor. So obviously there is a huge pressure to get the new Defender right. And new model development is very very very costly.
So there are big pros and cons.

I think JLR should have faith, I think they should take their time, get it right and build it. It's their most iconic and legendary model for Petes sake! And Damnit! Bring the four door truck version to the US. They would be handsomely rewarded.