Land Rover's shock new Defender 13 | 09 | 2011
LAND ROVER LEFT the massed crowd, assembled for its Frankfurt Motor Show press conference this morning, stunned by unveiling a second, ‘cool’ version of its DC100 Defender replacement concept (watch our EXCLUSIVE video of the DC100 Sport driven in Scotland).
Just days after the original fixed-roof concept stoked controversy, this second sporty, open-topped speedster-style vehicle fuelled the debate even further.
While many traditional Landie owners were questioning "has Land Rover lost the plot completely?", others were welcoming the pioneering, futuristic step forward.
Clearly the new concept — painted bright yellow, and boasting cut-down screens and a twin-humped fastback tonneau to shroud its rear seats and payload area — is targeted at a younger, lifestyle market. And like its fixed-head twin, it sits on 22in alloy wheels and ultra-low-profile tyres.
The Sport has the same three-plus- three seating plan as the first DC100, a reference to the front seat layout of original Land Rovers.
See more photos of the two Land Rover Defender concepts
And it's important we don't lose sight of the fact at the core of the 'Sport' is the new Defender; it's now abundantly clear the company’s target is to make the new Defender as versatile and easy to configure as current models.
It has an eye on sales to industrial users, farmers and international bodies like the UN as well as ordinary customers.
Power is by 2.0-litre petrol or diesel engines with both hybrid and plug-in capabilities, driving through an eight-speed gearbox. Intelligent stop-start is standard, along with latest-generation Terrain Response (probably with a new ‘auto’ function to reduce driver workload). The powertrain has a traditional transfer box to provide permanent four-wheel drive, but it incorporates a ‘driveline disconnect’ system that decouples the rear axle to save fuel when all-wheel drive isn’t needed.
“We want to acknowledge the strong design of the original Land Rover without being harnessed to it,” design boss Gerry McGovern explained.
Read our road test of the Range Rover Evoque
“Deciding how far you go in recognising the current car is one of the biggest challenges. Today’s Defender is a fantastic machine but it has many faults: it is hard to build, not very space efficient, the driving position is cramped, it’s not very comfortable for passengers, and so on.
"We have to replace it. Our task is to realise what makes it great and to come up with a modern design with the same attributes – the advantage of modern design and none of the drawbacks.”
Land Rover is applying the business and design plan behind the already hugely successful Evoque, to the new Defender.
The Gaydon-based company, which opened a brand-new niche for the Range Rover Evoque, is planning to do the same with the DC100 by carving an opening for a ‘premium durability’ SUV that no one else is making.
And to put the potential market in perspective, there's a world market for 2.3 million functional 4x4s.
Watch our video of the new Range Rover Evoque
But amid all the positives on the Land Rover stand, under the surface — certainly from a UK perspective — there's a concern over where the new Defender might be made.
The economics stack up against it being built in the UK. Brand chief John Edwards believes 90% of production could find buyers outside the UK; let's face it, Land Rover sells in 167 export markets.
That being the case, and with transport prices soaring around the globe, it makes perfect business sense to manufacture the new Defender abroad, probably in India, where parent company Tata Motors is based, or in China, where Land Rover sales are booming and are expected to grow still further.
Land Rover Defender 'reborn' for 2015
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Jim McGill