Land Rover: Final Design For Defender Replacement Signed Off
It was a sad day for thousands of off-roading enthusiasts when Land Rover said Defender production will end in 2015. The popular 4×4 is a familiar sight around the world, with production first starting 67 years ago.
Love it or loathe it, the Land Rover Defender is one of those British-built vehicles that will forever remain iconic. The trouble with the Defender is that it does not meet strict safety and emissions laws around the world, including in Europe.
In the United States, customs officials have been clamping down on illegal imports of the Land Rover Defender. The only Defenders that get allowed in the USA are ones that are 25 years old or more.
Unscrupulous importers are trying to import newer Defenders but passing them off as older ones. Such illegal imports end in one result for those Defenders: they get crushed by US customs officials.
In the United Kingdom, you can see the Land Rover Defender almost anywhere you go when you travel on British roads. It’s not likely the Defender will get banned for use in the British Isles. That is something many Defender owners welcome.
What’s replacing the Land Rover Defender?
Back in 2011, Land Rover unveiled two concept cars: the DC100 and the DC100 Sport.
Land Rover wanted the motor industry to start talking about the Defender’s replacement. Those models proved to be a good way of kickstarting the discussion.
At the moment, Land Rover are keeping quiet about the Defender’s replacement. The one thing that we can take away from the DC100 is that the new model will feature a stylish, modern body style.
Of course, it would be too easy for Land Rover to admit that the DC100 is what the next model will look like. The British firm has a reputation for going to great lengths to hide details of new models.
Its sister brand, the Range Rover, is a prime example of that. Back in 1969, Land Rover registered several vehicles under a different brand name (the “Velar”). They did this to disguise the fact they were pre-production models.
What will the Defender replacement look like?
Going back to the Defender, what we do know is that Land Rover have signed off the design for the replacement model. According to Saxton 4×4, the styling of the “new” Defender isn’t going to be exactly the same as the DC100 concept cars.
Land Rover have stated that the designs now look “too generic.” The designs look more adventurous, whilst retaining some of the DC100’s styling.
The DC100 concept is popular with the motoring press, and so it is not likely that the newer designs will deviate too much from them.
When will Land Rover unveil the new model?
Land Rover bosses are still discussing when to unveil the new model. They are also discussing how big a gap to leave after the Defender gets retired from the model lineup. All we know is that Defender production will end in 2015.
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