Thread: Will the Defender UTE return?

Landrover could absolutely build one and be competitive with Toyota.

Have you seen how much a 79 series Landcruiser is?

Then people are spending another $50k modifying them.

There are significant waits to buy the right colours.

So if Land Rover were to build a 130 crew cab Defender with V8 diesel they would sell heaps

You are right they could build one however that would require a change in direction for the business. The lack of investment in the old Defender and the massive range of urban Land Rovers is a clear indication of where they are heading. The Velar is the ultimate expression of a road based Land Rover (Road Rover). How much did that cost to develop?

The new Defender is in the same path which is not really a surprise. Toyota does not sell enough 70 series globally to warrant a new vehicle . 70 series sales have been on a steady decline for the last 20 years down 50%. Toyota looked at building a replacement however project was canned as the business case was not there. They will keep the current vehicle in product and do updates to keep it legal until like Defender the sales are no longer there or cost of upgrades are too high.

Any entrant by Land Rover would have to be a new entrant in the Hilux / Ranger section of the market. Ford has demonstrated what the right vehicle can do against the entrenched competition with the Ranger. More room here as Mitsubishi and Nissan are deciding who will continue to play in this segment which will remove one brand from the market