Thread: Why have Land Rover only made minor changes to the DEFENDER over the years??

Another major war would keep the current Defender going for years, the production line has probably only been kept going for this reason only.
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Originally Posted by Pickles2

"40 Defender per month"....that's not many is it,....Do you have access to any official sales figures?
Pickles.

No, dealer told me the LR figures. They also only get X available for Australian sales. I guess with 20K units as max production the poms are still happy selling every unit, regardless of market feedback. Been like that since 1948.
The Toyo sales is just something I have noticed in the back of a RACQ mag.

I think if LR did something with the hand brake, and gave people a little more room on the window side, and offered a tad more power they could sell many more. But is is what it is, sales are what they are, global design rules and safety regs are forever increasing. Defender owners are a dieing breed, like defender we all know. Not many of us trade up, not many move on. Just happy driving the ol truck for better or worse as the world moves along.

Defender owners aren't a dieing breed, there's plenty of new faces (new enthusiasts, new/first time owners) coming along all the time. I wouldn't expect production stopping to have much effect either... In the same way it hasn't affected the continuing popularity of the aircooled VW scene for example.

I am a Design Engineer from a product design/ mass manufacturing background. LR has done all it can with the Defender given the low sales volumes and therefore economics of product development, which would be very poor. We should be thankful for LR for dragging it out this long, as enthusiasts... perhaps other manufacturers would have dropped the model by now.

Development will be limited to anything that requires low investment in tooling, or using manufacturing methods that are suitable for low volume production, i.e. no new body panels or large plastic injection moulded parts. No new/experimental features either (= risk).

Importantly, and as a previous poster stated, too much development and refinement of the Defender might affect sales of the Disco, which i think is the true LR 'hero' product, generates significantly more revenue and has a much longer product life and potential ahead of it.

because when you are on a good thing, stick to it

1956 Morris Oxford


A late model Hindustan Ambassador, AKA Morris Oxford still being made today


Royal Enfield motorcycle is another example of same logic, being made the same in India since 1948

If Tata start producing a Defender in India rest assured that it will remain unchanged for the rest of eternity,

My thought after working on the Land Rover brand for 25 odd years is...

Land Rover really has struggled to maintain and manufacture a saleable product with minimal funds. Each new model was a forward developement of a product that was already there, basically copying their own product and improving it, the 200tdi, 300tdi, Disco 1, Disco 2 all based on previous designs so minimal R & D. The Defender got upgrades over the years with minimal costs involved, R380 box, TD5 etc. Other items on a Defender remained unchanged once again to minimise costs, the clutch master has remained unchanged since the series, but its not because its any engineering brilliance.

The ownership by Ford improved this, opening up the door for Land Rover with new engines and tech. Land Rover has always proved they can design and engineering with the best of them, but great ideas can be manufactured if you dont have any money.

Now with Tata we are already seeing great new things from Jaguar Land Rover, the new alloy manufacturing plant, new engine plant, new model rangie, sport, jaguar, evoque.

Would be good to see a new Defender that wasnt based on a D4 underpining, but as a lot are aware euro spec design rules may see the end of rigid axle, full chassis designed 4WDrives.

Regards
Daz

Originally Posted by newhue

No, dealer told me the LR figures. They also only get X available for Australian sales. I guess with 20K units as max production the poms are still happy selling every unit, regardless of market feedback. Been like that since 1948.
The Toyo sales is just something I have noticed in the back of a RACQ mag.

I think if LR did something with the hand brake, and gave people a little more room on the window side, and offered a tad more power they could sell many more. But is is what it is, sales are what they are, global design rules and safety regs are forever increasing. Defender owners are a dieing breed, like defender we all know. Not many of us trade up, not many move on. Just happy driving the ol truck for better or worse as the world moves along.

I agree, although I don't think we are a dying breed. It surprises me just how many people are interested in Defenders, young people as well. They have a timeless quality and an aura of adventure that is probably unmatched by any other brand.

When you can only make so many, (hand built and expensive to build) and you sell them all, then there is no need to change more than is required to meet changing legislation and some of the more pressing requirements of a softening western culture (a/c that works).

I'm sure if local dealers could get more Defenders they'd want them, it's not like they have yards full of them and a discount program in place to clear stock. It's more of a supply issue than a demand issue.

What they do with the Defender from here doesn't really bother me. It won't be the same as we know it now. It will be more like Toyota's re-do of the FJ40 (FJ Cruiser) which is about as appealing as an appendectomy.

It's the modernising of the Defender that has in my opinion gradually eroded the desirability of the Defender (for me). I covet the simplicity, the lack of electronics, the wash out interior, the ruggedness. I'm happy to drive around without a/c and to be honest don't really notice it except on really hot days. And there is just no getting past how cool a Defender is, even when it shrouds pedestrians in a dirty cloud of black smoke as it takes off from the lights.

That's what I'll miss when the Defender changes from a simple rugged icon to a marketing exercise for well-off suburbanites looking for a bit of retro cool. Well I won't miss it too much, I'll still have the genuine article.

Whats wrong with it? Heck..... my biggest complaints with the current generation defenders is the sheer amount of electrnics, and that god-awful dash update....

Late reply but...

"god awful dash" ?? The three things (yes only three as I do work on them) I like about the new Defender is, the 6 speed box, the short throw on the clutch and a dash with a/c that actually works like something built in the 21st century!!

Regards
Daz