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Land Rover struggling to let go of the real Defender?
Presumably they think they’re celebrating their heritage and that this will carry over to the new Defender.
...The new Defender looks awesome for a SUV, but at $80 - $100K more new than real Defenders were, they are no longer the rugged versatile classless everypersons vehicle they used to be.
Turning out a few elitist retro models doesn’t do much for this new Defender reality either.
Secondhand Defender prices are now on par with secondhand Landcruiser prices (which is probably where they should have always been), but it also puts them out of reach of many of those who don’t already have one which is a real shame. ...but at least the perceived value of Real Defenders is now up where it should be.
Unfortunately however the perceived value of new Defender is that it is an elitist SUV, not a versatile Jack of all trades like the original.
In the short term Land Rover might think they’ve made the right decision to move Defender into the same luxury vehicle sector that all other Land Rover products occupy, but in the longer term I reckon they’ll rue their decision as Defender takes sales from Discovery / Range Rover and Toyota brings out their next Landcruiser with hybrid / EV options, their secret new long range battery, and at a much better price.
By releasing a retro Camel Trophy V8 Defender, Land Rover are (inadvertently) declaring their double mistake of doubling the price point and softening the design of the new Defender.
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