The future of Land Rover?

By now I'd imagine we've all seen the concepts of the new Defender, apparently to be launched in 2016. Okay, these are 'over the top' mock-ups and the media have joined in with their their own bizarre interpretations of what the next generation will become, only now I'm beginning to think ... there's no smoke without fire.

To add credence to this thought, the following photo is at present being displayed on the website of a franchised Land Rover dealer.



Face it, it's looking more likely by the second!

A little bird told me that the Defender replacement has been shelved for an indefinite period.
They are going to launch a small Quashquai / Yeti type vehicle in the near future and it will look a little like the DC100 mock up and will feature a upmarket interior, they are looking at a hi luxury small vehicle to come in beneath the Evoque.
This is not a actually going to replace the Defender and was never meant too.

The current trend towards smaller "Sport" models Discovery etc will be augmented by hybrid and electric vehicles one of which will be shown at the Geneva motor show early next year.

lRJ are more than happy to let the utility vehicle sector be served by the Ford/Isuzu/Toyota and the likes of VW Amarok pickups and then try and pick it up at a later date with a supposed Defender replacement

We will have to wait and see if this is correct or another smokescreen from LRJ

Understand what you're trying to describe - Quashquai / Yeti size - but the Quashquai ain't so small. Think you probably mean - Juke / Yeti size. That would work, that's for sure.

I've always said that if LR were to produce a Suzuki SJ/Samuri/Jimny sized vehicle, they would sell like hot cakes. A Yeti type vehicle is about as near as we're ever going to get to a Jimny size ... but you never know?

Tom Mc wrote:

Understand what you're trying to describe - Quashquai / Yeti size - but the Quashquai ain't so small. Think you probably mean - Juke / Yeti size. That would work, that's for sure.

I've always said that if LR were to produce a Suzuki SJ/Samuri/Jimny sized vehicle, they would sell like hot cakes. A Yeti type vehicle is about as near as we're ever going to get to a Jimny size ... but you never know?

Yeah probably more like Nissan Joke type size, tbh the Quashquai isn't a bad size vehicle although I believe the Dacia has the same under pinnings, Renault and Nissan have a tie in with some vehicles and the Dacia is considerable cheaper

Not that I follow this issue very closely, as I would never consider buying a new Defender...or anything else made after the mid-1990s...but I did hear that any new Defender would not be made in the UK. The production would be moved to Tata India so that a commercial utility truck could be made without having to comply with idiotic European regulations. There will never be a new UK-made Defender that would resemble anything that we would recognize as the rugged, all-purpose, utility truck we all know.

Land Rover have manufacturing capacity in India at various sites, China wherever they like as the Government will fund most of the cost of building a new site, and many more options across the world; America and South Africa were even cited as possibilities.

I agree chaps, can't see the new Defender being made here. Besides, we've got enough on our plate with the RR, Freelander, etc. ... not to mention Jaguar who have come on a bundle of late. If Land Rover Limited want to sell loads of Defenders, both cost-wise and production-wise, abroad is the only option surely?

Definitely outside the EU. The sad part for those that would want any new foreign-made version is that you would not be able to buy it commercially in the UK, since it probably wouldn't meet EU regulations. But finally in Asia, Africa and other regions free of the safety-nazi mentality, you might be able to buy a simple, rugged and not overly expensive utility 4x4. Tata make some good, tough commercial vehicles so a new Defender along the same lines might be worth a look...even for an electronics luddite like myself!

No, what will happen is they will build a world engine with electronics to meet EU emissions standards, its almost impossible to build a new engine without them today as they rely upon them to provide the necessary power outputs demanded by consumers as they are cheaper then properly engineering components.

Remember its all about cost and as electronics are cheaper they will be used.

Yep, no argument! That's why I say that even I might look at one even with the modern electronics...as long as the rest of it was designed more as a competition once again for the Landcruiser 70 series, which now has modern electronic engine management but is otherwise, simple, rugged and available in many configurations.

I think I read somewhere that Chris Scott had moved away from Land Rover and now drives the diesel Gwagon due to the fact it only has a ECU for very basic engine management.
This is why the Land Rover press never feature any of his exploits anymore.

I think personally that all the electric gizmos are fine for a day to day vehicle my Merc ML was a classic example built like a brick outhouse and very reliable but I have moved away from this kind of modern vehicle as I now have the bug and want to travel further afield and I need something simple that Ahmed, Ghengis or Mr Hung Loo can beat into life with a big hammer and will run on crappy fuel from a barrel and not a bright shiny forecourt.

Its all bullshit anyway as the global warming name has been changed to climate change which shows its nothing but a scam to extract more money. Modern engines consume less fuel anyway through modern technologies and good design but with a 4X4 this is irrelevant as they are not bought for fuel economy are they? they are bought to do a job and the powers that be hoped they could price them out of the mass market to everyone except the very rich or business users as the rich could afford them and for a business their costs are offset against tax.

Add into this the fact that emissions wise a well tuned carburettor on a good engine in reasonable condition produces less emissions than a modern fuel injected state of the art engine when in "working mode" which can be defined as heavy towing on road or off road work; but why? In off road mode the fuel injection always tries to maintain "stoichiometric ratio" which is the optimum fuel to air ratio and it under powers the engine for long periods then overfuels to maintain progress, the carb/basic diesel engine gives a measured squirt of fuel which maintains torque. By maintaining torque you don't get that momentary bogging of the engine and have to increase the throttling which uses more power.

If they were concerned about the environment then they wouldn't tax CO2 emissions, they would tax other more noxious emissions which are actually proven to cause problems, CO2 isn't proven to cause any issues; but it is the easiest to tax.

Assassin wrote:

Its all bullshit anyway as the global warming name has been changed to climate change which shows its nothing but a scam to extract more money. Modern engines consume less fuel anyway through modern technologies and good design but with a 4X4 this is irrelevant as they are not bought for fuel economy are they? they are bought to do a job and the powers that be hoped they could price them out of the mass market to everyone except the very rich or business users as the rich could afford them and for a business their costs are offset against tax.

Add into this the fact that emissions wise a well tuned carburettor on a good engine in reasonable condition produces less emissions than a modern fuel injected state of the art engine when in "working mode" which can be defined as heavy towing on road or off road work; but why? In off road mode the fuel injection always tries to maintain "stoichiometric ratio" which is the optimum fuel to air ratio and it under powers the engine for long periods then overfuels to maintain progress, the carb/basic diesel engine gives a measured squirt of fuel which maintains torque. By maintaining torque you don't get that momentary bogging of the engine and have to increase the throttling which uses more power.

If they were concerned about the environment then they wouldn't tax CO2 emissions, they would tax other more noxious emissions which are actually proven to cause problems, CO2 isn't proven to cause any issues; but it is the easiest to tax.

not up to your thoutghts on engines, but have been saying for quite a few years the the globle warming is just a way of getting more money from people, people should relise it is the planet that is haveing another climent chaange, the planet has been changeing for 4 billion year and is now haveing another one, the only thing that I belive that us are doing wrong, is the amout of trees being cut down, trees are the lungs of the word, they take in carbon dioxide (hope I got that right) and they give of oxygen, well you lot know I can not spell.