All discussions relating to the Defenders end of production

Three things:

Land Rover says the Defender was not going to meet new Euro emissions standards, and perhaps the cost of reverse engineering or upgrading it was going to be so high they decided to invest that money in trying to start a new chapter with the Defender's replacement.
I don't know why they couldn't just source a different engine, but they might have decided this is the right time to also address all the other issues and quirks that Defender owners either love or endure, but which make it a non-starter for new generations of drivers who expect a higher base level of technology.

Secondly, there could be a financial plan at work. Look at the annual sales figures for Defenders in Europe on this page: Land Rover Defender European sales figures
They're small and tapering off to abysmal. Rather than trickle along like that and reach a point where people are still thinking about the classic defender when the new one is launched, they may want to build some nostalgia and longing for a year or two, run an 'It's coming...' marketing campaign, and launch with an explosion of sales to new customers who would never have bought the current Defender but are willing to buy a modern LR that trades on its legend.

Land Rover was bought in 2008. The current owners could be losing money already on every LR being sold because of the low volume.

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Originally Posted by Defender Ben

Given that ive just joined the forum and am slowly reading through things this might've been answered or addressed previously but with the Defender ceasing production have Land Rover cost themselves millions of dollars in not having a suitable replacement ready to go?

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Very good link El, ...it shows EXACTLY why the current Defender is to be no more.........they ain't selling ANYWHERE NEAR ENOUGH to make continued production of this vehicle worthwhile, and a new engine, airbags etc ain't gonna fix that problem,.......which is simply that, Defender in its current form, for the buying public, has had its day, except maybe, in the minds of "enthusiasts" like us, who obviously do not provide enough sales.
Would JLR be worrying about Defender, would they be losing sales, market penetration, losing income etc. Nope, none of that at all. Everything that JLR touches these days, seems to "turn to gold",...Evoque , Disco Sport etc,...they're selling HEAPS,...highly optioned in many cases, long waiting lists,Plants working to capacity,...Defender is just not up there, priority wise, as it used to be.
So, whilst We may miss it, I think JLR's "boffins" have proven that they know what they're doing,.....I just can't wait to see what these "boffins" will come up with relative to the "new" Defender.
Pickles.

I read somewhere that JLR want to sell at least 80,000 of the Defender replacement worldwide to make it profitable, so that's about four times the current sales. It has to sell in the USA to be viable.


I'm expecting maybe five body styles (single cab, dual cab, five-door wagon, three-door (like the 90) and open top. Will have to be at least three engines (small diesel, larger diesel and petrol). I assume an all-aluminium chassis and coil suspension. Maybe an upmarket version with airbags. Guess there will be a stripped down base model for work, a mid-range (the biggest seller) and an urban luxo model. I read somewhere they are trying to use as many industry standard parts as possible e.g. wheel sizes, bolts, filters etc.


Could be good if they do it well.

Consider

Quote:
Nevertheless, 70 Series sales are still strong in Australia. ?Last year almost 20 per cent of the global 70 Series volume was sold within the Oceania Region,? Toyota Australia product public relations manager Stephen Coughlan told 4X4 Australia.
?The vehicle remains popular within the Middle East, Africa and Australia. The single cab chassis is easily the most popular model in the 70 Series line-up in Australia but the new double cab is also popular. Since its local introduction, the double cab has been particularly well received. Whilst the bulk of 2013 sales (53 per cent) were, not surprisingly, the single cab, the double cab accounted for 34 per cent of the mix, followed by the wagon (seven per cent) and TroopCarrier (six per cent).?

To get volume can we reasonably expect LR to target the 70 series customer/market?
If yes, cab chassis dominates ,
So next gen Defender will have a heavy chassis ?

Be interesting a HD 5 star Defender vs the aging 70 series.

Some good thinking there AndyG.

I agree with you, that is the market they should be targeting.

I reckon the five main factors that have killed Defender in this market against the 70 series are:
1. Land Rover's Focus on luxury market instead of work vehicle market
2. Abysmal service/dealer network
3. No larger engine option
4. No advertising
5. No airbags
All resulting in no consumer confidence
If they address all of these issues properly AND keep the heavy chassis, yes it will be interesting.

...but they won't.

They will target the luxury play toy market, not do anything about the service network and the chassis will be monocoque. So the HD work ute market won't be interested. Toyota will kill it again with the new 90series or whatever they call it.

...maybe the over crowded dual cab market, if they're lucky, but I can't see a new Defender selling for only $35,000.

Yes good call.

No.2: Experienced this first hand.
No.3: I would have gone for a bigger engine if it was available.
No.5: Even if they weren't standard, I'd have paid extra for these too.

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Originally Posted by MrLandy

I reckon the five main factors that have killed Defender in this market against the 70 series are:
1. Land Rover's Focus on luxury market instead of work vehicle market
2. Abysmal service/dealer network
3. No larger engine option
4. No advertising
5. No airbags
All resulting in no consumer confidence

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The 70 series is going the same place as the deefer,it won't be around for much longer.

And that is straight out of the mouth of the manufacturer.

It is the safety aspect of the Deefer that has sent it to the same place as the dinosaurs,not emissions.

And also as said,numbers sold.

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Originally Posted by scarry

The 70 series is going the same place as the deefer,it won't be around for much longer.

And that is straight out of the mouth of the manufacturer.

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yes, it's a massive opportunity for Land Rover to regain the heavy duty work vehicle sector! But will they??

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MrLandy

yes, it's a massive opportunity for Land Rover to regain the heavy duty work vehicle sector! But will they??

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I doubt it that market is to small,except for maybe the US,but they have their own vehicles over there.

It is the smaller ute market that is massive,ranger,lowlux,navara,etc.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by scarry

I doubt it that market is to small,except for maybe the US,but they have their own vehicles over there.

It is the smaller ute market that is massive,ranger,lowlux,navara,etc.

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A $30K Defender dual cab? I doubt it.