The Land Rover Defender has been reborn as a mainstream model for the global market, taking heavy design and capability cues from the iconic original, which was withdrawn from sale in 2016, and the 2009-2016 Land Rover Discovery 4.
In balancing the demands of hardcore enthusiasts and the need to give the car more widespread appeal, Land Rover has sought to build a viable business case for future generations of the Defender. By the time the previous model went off sale, fewer than 5000 Defenders a year were delivered to retail buyers, with bulk business purchases taking that to around 15,000 cars. In order to be sustainable, the new model must sell close to five times that figure, according to insiders, joining the Discovery in taking the firm’s newest plant in Nitra, Slovakia up to its 150,000 annual production capacity. Crucially, to that end, the new Defender has been engineered to meet global car regulations, including the world’s two largest markets, China and the US, where it previously had negligible impact because of regulatory restrictions by the time production was halted. In total, it will now be sold in 128 territories.
The new Defender will also be available with a greater breadth of capabilities than any other Land Rover before. The line-up will range from humanitarian and military models through to lifestyle-orientated versions that can be supplemented with more than 170 individual accessories, likely taking the price into at least Range Rover territory and potentially well beyond £100,000 for top-end versions. Initially, the five-door Defender 110 will be priced from £45,240 and sold with four distinctive packs – called Explorer, Adventure, Country and Urban – according to its likely use. The first customers will receive their cars in early 2020. However, more compact three-door Defender 90 models will go on sale shortly afterwards from around £40,000, as well as two Commercial models costing from around £35,000 plus VAT. Petrol, mild-hybrid and diesel options will be available at launch, with a plug-in hybrid expected to be launched in around 12 months’ time.