Land Rover is the latest car firm to reveal what it intends to show off at the forthcoming Frankfurt Motor Show next month. The company will release an all new Defender by 2015, which will replace the iconic design that arrived on our roads way back in 1948.
The new Defender will be based on a concept vehicle known presently as the DC100, which sounds more like an aeroplane than a hardy British off-road vehicle. But big changes are afoot for this well-loved vehicle, which has enjoyed sales of more than 2 million around the globe and continues to be hugely popular. As you can see from the concept car image, the new-look Defender is a significant departure from the current design, with a particularly distinctive front.
Looking at the pictures, I can’t help thinking that the design has been heavily influenced by Land Rover’s owners, Tata of India. While more pictures are sure to be released, the ones I have seen seem to show a vehicle that looks a little flimsy, and sharing little in common with the rigid 1948 version – of which some are still in daily use today, such is their build quality.
One of the big features of the older Defenders was the fact that they seldom required their owners to call their vehicle breakdown cover providers – arguably because they were so simple, nothing could go wrong with them. I wonder if the new one will offer a similar level of stamina.
But Land Rover appear to be keen to keep as much of the old defender in the new one as possible, as pointed out by the company’s director of design, Gerry McGovern: "Replacing the iconic Defender is one of the biggest challenges in the automotive design world; it is a car that inspires people worldwide.
Land Rover lovers will no doubt be tuning into reports from the Frankfurt Motor Show to see exactly what Gerry and his colleagues have in mind for what is probably the world’s most famous and well-loved off-road vehicle.
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