Project Icon Whats it Mean For Puma Parts etc. Who will trade up to the "Icon" ?

[pc3]

With the impending new model coming what will this mean for parts etc. for the last of the Solid axle defenders for parts etc.

Also whos rushing out to get one of the new ones......................2.7 TD V6 would be anice motor I imgaine.

Will it hold a great advantage over current Pumas ?

[isuzutoo-eh]

Unless I've missed the press release, we don't even know for sure what Project Icon will be!
Has use of that particular motor been confirmed? Will it definately be independently suspended?

I think LR should put portal hubs on the disco chassis :D

[Outlaw]

Sounds good Mark... D4 chassis and interior with a Defender body and portal hubs... oh and how about an electronics bypass for easy upgrades while offroading ;)

[VladTepes]

Hmmm I'll bet they only cost about $90,000+ too.

[Bush65]

The last report I looked at, indicated that project Icon had been dropped and Land Rover were looking for a different platform instead of the Disco 3 or 4 of project Icon. IIRC the disco platform was not adaptable enough or would result in too high a weight for the range of wheelbase/vehicle options wanted for the Defender replacement.

So who knows what suspension or engine it will have? AFAIK it is still not decided.

That last report I saw also indicated it may use the electric rear axle Land Rover has been developing

[stig0000]

oh and i just wish i was able to tell you that the 3.6tdv8 is goning to be no more,, and a new 4L ttdv8:angel::angel:

i would tell you that but then il have to kill you:angel::wasntme:

[Michael2]

I think it will mean increased resale value for "old school" Defenders. While this didn't happen with Range Rover classics, it has happened with older Land Cruisers - FJ40 types.

Like the older cruisers, I think a lot of components will no longer be copyrighted, so we may see aftermarket suppliers of all parts, including panels. Being Land Rovers, I think we should bypass the fibreglass, and go for Kevlar replacement panels. Again, this hasn't happened with the RRC, as you can't buy interior trim parts anymore, but I hope the Defender will be like the early jeeps, in that all sorts of people will continue to manufacture replacement parts for them.

As for the project icon vehicle, last I read it was a company priority. Being Land Rover, they run the risk of either under engineering it (think Freelander 1) or over engineering it (think D3) and pushing the price beyond the utilitarian buyer (think of how few civilian G-Wagens have been sold).

Personally, I'd like to see a short bonneted (Forward Control) version with such utilitarian options as 12 seater, ambulance, camper, cargo vehicle. A bit like how the Mercedes Sprinter (or similar) has replaced the F100 type of light truck as the main commercial vehicle configuration.

That would also be a good way to bring weight down, as the vehicles total capacity, in relation to it's size would increase.

[dullbird]

to be honest I would of thought with current issues of the puma and expenditure that must have gone on I thought they would of canned the defender all together

[lardy]

to be honest I would of thought with current issues of the puma and expenditure that must have gone on I thought they would of canned the defender all together

Dullbird you are talking of land rover here, as if mate, they are not one to worry about current customers issues, when they have potential new customers to annoy with the latest greatest incarnation of the marque lol.

[camel_landy]

:angel:

M

[Pedro_The_Swift]

:angel:

M


:rulez::rulez::rulez:

(will settle for scuttlebutt--;))

[solmanic]

I have tried to think this through logically a few times and come up with the following possibilities based on current requirements & past history.

The new vehicle has to still fit a primarily utility purpose. LR have plenty of other models for recreational users.

The new vehicle will most likely have a similar, small, utility engine. I will be (pleasantly) surprised if there is a V-anything under the bonnet. Most likely another efficient 4-cyl.

The new vehicle will probably have a lot of hand-me-down technology from higher price-point models. Think about how much original Range Rover gear was fitted to the first generation Defenders as a guide.

The new vehicle will have to be more easily assembled - so complex bodywork pressings will be likely. Probably still bolted to a chassis though.

The new vehicle will have to comply with as-yet undefined safety requirements. For example - lounge chairs that spring out from the front to catch unwary pedestrians. Air bags everywhere. Softer body curves.

The new vehicle will have to be marketable in the US! Now this is an interesting one because whilst it means that all the US safety regulations will apply thus limiting the real "toughness" of the vehicle, it does ensure that the essential look of the current Defender has to remain. There is no denying that people in the US like the look of the Defender and there always seem to be comments around the net from Americans lamenting that they can't buy one.

Also, the name of the project has to be some indication that the new Defender will retain the essential form of the current Defender. It IS an ICON. Land Rover simply cannot spit out a ruggedised Discovery and expect the market to respond positively. Whilst it may be a lot of Discovery stuff underneath, it must still look like a Defender. Think of how well the current FF Range Rover captures the important design elements of the original RR Classic. Many would argue that it is indeed a nicer looking vehicle than the original. That's what Land Rover need to achieve with the Defender. That way those of us who are agonising over losing the current Defender shouldn't care when they give us something entirely better!

If they manage this, then yes - I will buy one!

[dullbird]

Dullbird you are talking of land rover here, as if mate, they are not one to worry about current customers issues, when they have potential new customers to annoy with the latest greatest incarnation of the marque lol.

maybe so mate.....but I can't imagine with so many things that have had to be changed on so many trucks so many times in several countries that they could be making any money:wasntme:

remember money talks and thats all that matter to land rover...its what makes car companies bankrupt at the end of the day...

I'm sure they will make another defender, but seeing as though it wasn't that long ago there was talks they were not going to make another I was just saying I wouldn't be surprised. it would be interesting to know how much they have made with this current model..can't imagine it would be a lot of profit:)

[ugu80]

They will put Land Rover badges on a Tata.

[solmanic]

They will put Land Rover badges on a Tata.

Possibly - but I think it is more likely they will design a Land Rover product that can be manufactured there. Massive market and central for shipping units to the rest of Asia, Australia & Africa.

[PAT303]

maybe so mate.....but I can't imagine with so many things that have had to be changed on so many trucks so many times in several countries that they could be making any money:wasntme:

remember money talks and thats all that matter to land rover...its what makes car companies bankrupt at the end of the day...

I'm sure they will make another defender, but seeing as though it wasn't that long ago there was talks they were not going to make another I was just saying I wouldn't be surprised. it would be interesting to know how much they have made with this current model..can't imagine it would be a lot of profit:)

Trust me they are making money,the price car makers pay for parts direct from suppliers and then what they sell them to us for is quite different. Pat

[dlatn]

My Short, Happy Career in Car Design - NYTimes.com (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/automobiles/11ROVER.html?nl=automobiles&emc=wheelsema3)

looks ok, but front suspension looks crook...

So, I would hang onto your Isuzu Counties, the product can only decline from there.
Since BMW had a fiddle, and then Ford, the landy has increasingly become a hairdresser's car for city knobs.
turbo, electric windows, electric door locks, abs, traction control.

Lets hope Tata takes it back to its utilitarian roots, and allows for differentiation from the rangerover/discovery/freelander/LRX/ lifestyle products

[isuzutoo-eh]

A bit of journalistic license or perhaps some truth?
The next Disco might be based on the Icon/Defender frame/running gear:
The future of Land Rover - Autocar.co.uk (http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/248674/)


But there is also an idea to make a new seven-seat Discovery closer to the 1989 original. Based around the new Project Icon/Defender platform, it would be rugged and mechanically relatively simple, but more luxurious than the Defender, while being far more workmanlike than its Range Rover siblings.

[gusthedog]

Found this photo:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
At this link:

Project ICON gets underway to replace the Defender - News - Land Rover Owner International magazine (http://www.lro.com/print.php'sid=350)

Independant front end eh? What are they thinking ??

[Bush65]

Found this photo:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/
At this link:

Project ICON gets underway to replace the Defender - News - Land Rover Owner International magazine (http://www.lro.com/print.php'sid=350)

Independant front end eh? What are they thinking ??
That report is dated last September. A later report indicates something much different, notably discarding the idea of using the disco/rrs T5 platform.

It is all speculation yet.

[2_door]

I see that there is no Defender listed on LR's Australian website...is this because of the 'impending' new model coming soon???? 2012 seems a bit far away to stop selling them here or at least advertising them....

[Drover]

They're still there,

Try this

Land Rover AU - Home (http://landrover.com.au/au/en/home.htm)

[Bush65]

I see that there is no Defender listed on LR's Australian website...is this because of the 'impending' new model coming soon???? 2012 seems a bit far away to stop selling them here or at least advertising them....
I don't know why that may be. If I speculate:

AFAIK Victoria will soon (2011 ??) be requiring all new vehicles to have safety measures such as dynamic stability control. I think other states will have these requirements by the following year.

This is in line with European requirements/2012 deadline and I believe a main reason for the Defender upgrade (maybe scrapping).

With all the happenings/delays (from Ford sale to Tarta, economic crisis, lack of decision/plan, concentration on RR, LRX, etc.) Land Rover will be hard pressed to deliver the hoped for Defender replacement by 2012.

[2_door]

They're still there,

Try this

Land Rover AU - Home (http://landrover.com.au/au/en/home.htm)

thanks mate

thats very interesting, when I googled Landrover it gave me this

Land Rover (http://www.landrover.com/au/en/lr/)

which is a completely Aussie different website but a similar URL

WTF

[amtravic1]

It seems Landrover au have two web sites. One with the Defender listed, one with out. I wonder if they know something they are not letting on. Perhaps the current Defender will not be replaced quickly enough by the new one to meet the coming regulations. If that happens they can just switch off the site with the Defender listed.

[2_door]

It seems Landrover au have two web sites. One with the Defender listed, one with out. I wonder if they know something they are not letting on. Perhaps the current Defender will not be replaced quickly enough by the new one to meet the coming regulations. If that happens they can just switch off the site with the Defender listed.

yes, its very interesting. I guess we will have to wait and see....

[wesbt]

I read an article recently suggesting that LR would be aiming to continue commercial nature of Defender, even reducing cost, and expand on range to capture sales in boom countries (Think India / China). Being that they want to continue tray back, and aiming at similar buyers as current, would think that at least a live rear axle is a given?

Same article suggested that the line between Land Rover and Range Rover has become too blurred with the Disco 4, and the next Disco would then be built on this same structure as next Defender, and brought back down to a Disco 1 level as far as features, functionality, and off-roadability go.

Whatever happens, next 2-5 years will be very interesting.

[JamesH]

All this talk of D4 3 litre having 19 inch rims has really put me off. I was ready to go the D4 path when the time (& $) came to move on the Defender.

So yeah it looks like I will be staying with Defender or the rumoured down market D5.

[Gav110]

All this talk of D4 3 litre having 19 inch rims has really put me off. I was ready to go the D4 path when the time (& $) came to move on the Defender.

So yeah it looks like I will be staying with Defender or the rumoured down market D5.

Exactly same in my case - 100% same. Silver 110 on order for June delivery (hopefully!)