As you will no doubt know, Jaguar Land Rover are looking to retire the Defender in 2015. They're planning to put one of the most recognizable and beloved vehicles ever made out to grass. Personally, I'm completely against that. With that in mind, I've set up the following petition:

https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitio...ast-2015#share

Please sign it and pass it on to your friends to sign. We are intending to present this to Ralf Speth and David Cameron if we have to.

 

LR hasn't sold a Defender in the state is over 16-years, they have no market here.
Why would the care about a petition from people that they cant sell there product too.

 

Three words... world wide web.

 

I think LR is still planning on replacing it with something called a Defender, AND selling it in NA. That makes sense because they can design it to meet current US and EU standards vs. adapting the current platform. However, the LR executive quote I read called it a "premium tool" and that there would be a production gap between the current and new model.

Hopefully it doesn't end up being as "premium" as a G-class Mercedes. I have been waiting patiently for LR to figure this out and present me with something to buy other than a rolling palace like a Range Rover or even the current Discovery models.

I guess this is more reason to keep my 97 Disco healthy.

 

It's not Land Rover's plan or choice. The Defender has become illegal as it no longer meets regulatory requirements. It stopped meeting US regulatory requirements a long time ago, and now it will no longer meet British requirements and will be illegal to manufacture for sale.

The current Defender isn't worth saving anyway. It stopped being cool a long time ago. The old ones are still good for what they are.

 

I don't know, the 4-door/2-door wranglers are selling like hot-cakes in the states and have the lowest depreciation of any vehicle in the entire US. I live in Utah with di-hard Jeep enthusiasts and many would LOVE a diesel powered Rover, and nearly all love the Rover's looks.

There IS a market in the states, and it IS cool. Could it survive as a $100k British G-class? Not a chance in hades. But it could easily sell in the thousands in the $40-50k range depending on options, especially if they brought over the D130 truck model and included a US spec diesel. Heck, I would have bought one over my GMC 2500HD.

This is assuming that the powers that be at Rover are smart enough to understand what an "icon" is, and essentially do what Jeep did with the JK: Design it to look like the original as much as possible (including solid-axle drive train), but still meet US's safety laws.

With their market in 3rd world countries, I could easily see Rover selling as many units as they have capacity for IF they would design it and its price point just a hair higher than the Jeep JK.

Rover could even have a best-seller if they managed to sell it a bit cheaper than the Rubicon, as a stock Defender already has better approach/departure angles and off-road pedigree than the already excellent JK Rubicon.

 

Those are different issues. Saving the old Defender is a legal issue and Land Rover has no options left. Inventing the new-Defender, it will be a different vehicle. First, it has zero military application. There is no contract and no hope of any in the future. Therefore it will be based entirely on profit available from existing sales channels. That means it will use a shared platform (whether current or future), and it will sell for a premium price.

I agree that a retro-styled new model could sell plenty in the US, but I don't think Land Rover is interested in exports to the US unless it can price them above $55K (and more likely far above that). There's no way they will place a new-Defender model below the Discovery or LR2 in this market. I actually think a British G is exactly what they would do in this market if it won't cut Range Rover sales. Mercedes doesn't have an issue with G's cutting S-class sales. But a luxury new-Defender vs Range Rover is harder to sort out. Of course if they share enough, it will amount to a styling option like LR4 vs. RR Sport.

It is possible they will put the new-Defender in the same market segment as the current Defender outside North America (in which case it would not be RR-based). I think it's unlikely because the profits are thin. That market is getting beat by Chinese Hi-lux copies. Even Toyota is moving towards a premium brand. Land Rover may not sell as many but they will make far more profit selling premium cars to the wealthy in India, China, Africa and the Middle East. But for sure they would never consider exporting a cheap new-Defender to North America. They didn't even export cheap Discoveries to here, which were abundant everywhere else.

"Best seller" isn't the goal. They're in it for profit. If profits are poor, "we'll make up for it in volume" is the worst business excuse. You can't petition a company to make stupid business decisions.

Jeep's JK is not a good example. It kind of sucks for Jeep. I realize it's awesome for the aftermarket, but I really doubt that it comprises most of Jeep's profits. In a way, they're sort of stuck building it, because if they stop, they'll lose their only identity. Unlike Land Rover, Jeep never re-invented itself as a premium luxury brand. If Land Rover dumped the Defender, most dealerships around the world wouldn't even notice.

 

I agree the Defender as-built is dead.

That said, there is profit in a utilitarian 4wd. The wrangler does not "suck" for Jeep. They are looking to expand it with a pickup bed the next go-around, in essence making it a modern D90/110/130 without any competition in the states. Especially considering a diesel will be available in the next year too.

They just hired 200 more employees in an attempt to up JK production:

Jeep makes 1 millionth Wrangler at Toledo plant | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

They sold 200k Wranglers in 2012, with 700k sold by the entire brand, the JK was nearly 30% of all Jeeps sold. Hardly a millstone Chrystler is trying to dumb.

With the 4-door JK Rubicon going for $40k loaded, Rover could easily find profit in the premium "tough" 4wd market. Land Rover could sell as many units in the states that they wanted if they provided a modern D90/110/130 replacement and marketed it around the Rubicon's price point. (Above or below depending on how upscale Land Rover wants the models). Right now, Jeep has a monopoly. A $100k G-class? Don't even bother designing the platform unless you are going to make profit off of NATO/military sales.

 

You're talking volume. JLR sells about half as many vehicles as the Jeep brand, and each one probably makes twice as much profit. So why should they tie up their capacity with a low-end product? What you're suggesting is that JLR should build-out their capacity so they can massively increase sales. Given that they're already seeing record-breaking growth, that doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

Series Rovers and Defenders were never about being cool. They were about being rugged, easily field repairable and versatile. And I don't mean versatile in Rover's new definition, being able to drive on pavement and dirt. I mean a huge variation in bodies and equipment to make them suitable for a very broad range of uses