New Land Rover Defender plans large family for 2018

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New Land Rover Defender plans large family for 2018
Land Rover Defender LWB front

17 Apr, 2015 12:40pm Mat Watson
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/land-rover ... y-for-2018

The new Land Rover Defender will arrive in 2018 with SVR performance version on the cards to rival the Merc G63 AMG

Land Rover is planning to introduce an entire new family of Defenders, and design boss Gerry McGovern has hinted that a performance SVR version of the forthcoming 4x4 could also be on the cards.

Such a car would be developed by Jaguar Land Rover’s newly formed Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division, and would allow the brand to tap into demand in Russia and China for powerful and luxurious rugged off-roaders, currently dominated by the Mercedes G 63 AMG.

It's also likely that a hardcore off-road Defender SVX will join the range at some stage and we could even see a luxurious SVA version in line with the Range Rover SVAutobiography.

“The beauty of SVO is that it allows you to play. It lets you take vehicles and heighten their essence,” McGovern told Auto Express. “We can do that with all of them, whether it’s a Range Rover, Discovery or a Defender.”

Land Rover Defender 3-door


The first new Defender isn’t expected to arrive until 2018, and it will spawn a family of at least three individual models. McGovern said: “The Defender is all about durability – that indestructible, durable vehicle which is what a family of Defenders would be.”

Our exclusive images show how a long-wheelbase five-door model and a sportier three-door could look. What engines the family would be offered with is unclear, although the standard Defender is expected to be offered with four-cylinder turbocharged diesel and petrol engines and possibly a more powerful V6.

Whatever happens, the new Defender will continue Land Rover’s recent move upmarket. “In its core form it can be something that can be quite elemental up to something incredibly luxurious,” said McGovern.


Yet the car will remain a true off-roader. While exact details are still secret, the new Defender is likely to have an aluminium body built on an aluminium chassis. This would give go-anywhere strength with less weight than from a traditional 4x4 steel chassis.

“When you see the new Defender, people will know it’s worthy of carrying the badge,” explained McGovern. “It will be able to do everything it says on the tin.”

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Jaguar Land Rover to use Magna Steyr factory in Austria
JLR will use Magna Steyr's factory in Austria to relieve pressure on its UK factories while it searches for a permanent European production site


The all-new 'indestructible' Defender will be built on JLR's aluminium architecture

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by Hilton Holloway
2 July 2015

Jaguar Land Rover has announced a new manufacturing agreement with Magna Steyr that will see some of its future models built in Austria.

The new agreement is intended to free up production resources and relieve pressure on JLR's UK factories, which are understood to be nearing full capacity.

Magna Steyr, which operates its own factory in Graz, Austria, already builds vehicles for other car manufacturers. In the past, Magna Steyr has produced cars including the Peugeot RCZ, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the Mini Countryman.

While Jaguar Land Rover hasn't revealed which vehicles will be produced at the Magna Steyr plant, possible candidates for Magna Steyr to build include the Land Rover Discovery Sport, the upcoming Range Rover Evoque Cabriolet and a smaller variant of the Jaguar F-Pace crossover.

JLR has already committed to bringing 12 new or refreshed vehicles to market over the course of 2015-16. At the same time the firm will invest Ŗ3.6 billion on new vehicle development and expansion.

Bringing some vehicle manufacturing to the Magna Steyr site will allow the firm more time to search for its own bespoke European factory. Autocar understands the new plant will build models based on the company’s new aluminium architecture, with the upcoming Defender replacement being the lead candidate for overseas production.

Although the move to build an east European plant might prove controversial, JLR’s three UK plants are already packed to capacity.

The Evoque and Discovery Sport – both based on JLR's steel D8 platform – are currently built in the northwest at Halewood, which is thought to be operating at maximum capacity.

The Castle Bromwich site will build the new XF and the F-Pace, which are both based on the smaller D7a aluminium architecture.

Solihull is building the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and the Jaguar XE. Trying squeeze in both Discovery 5 production as well as the expected third Range Rover model could result in the Discovery 5 being made in eastern Europe.

Known internally as ‘Project Darwin’ and codenamed L663, the new Defender should be the main product line for the new facility. However, if sales of the Range Rover Sport continue to boom and the Jaguar F-Pace crossover is also a sales success, lack of capacity in the UK might mean another model has to be made at the new plant.

Autocar understands that the current thinking among JLR planners is that the Discovery 5 – codenamed L462 – could also be made at the new facility.

Sources say JLR bosses have narrowed down a site for its new factory to two potential locations.

The first possibility is near Gyor in Hungary, which would allow the company to take advantage of the supplier base built up by Audi for the local production of the TT Coupé and its four-cylinder engines.

The second possible site is somewhere in Poland, although the sources could not be more specific.

JLR sources privately insist that opening a plant in central or eastern Europe and moving some production to Austria is not a vote of no-confidence in the UK but simply a function of the UK plants getting close to capacity and the need to spread its production footprint, following the lead of rivals such as Mercedes and BMW.

JLR already has production in China and is currently building its own facility in Brazil.

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Next-Gen 2018 Land Rover Defender L663

Production of the venerable Land Rover Defender is about to end, and no model has stirred as much speculation as that vehicle's successor. Now, our friends at AUTOMOBILE have learned a few details on the next Defender, which is expected to arrive by 2018 for the nameplate's 70th anniversary.

Read more: http://wot.motortrend.com/1503_more_det ... z3f31ZP7HS


Codenamed L663, the new Defender will be a departure from the SUV's working-class roots, aimed at customers who may not care as much about off-road capability. That isn't to say the next Defender won't be capable, however. AUTOMOBILE says the L663 will be "a butch-looking, go-anywhere luxury liner," that will be available in at least five body styles, including two- and four-door models available with long or short wheelbase lengths and in convertible or hardtop from, as well as a four-door pickup. Five engine choices will also be offered, including JLR's new Ingenium four-cylinder engine lineup with both gasoline and diesel variants, and a range-topping 300-hp 3.0-liter V-6 replacing the V-8. Those engines will be mated to either a six-speed manual or nine-speed automatic, which can be coupled with an optional low-range transfer case and two locking differentials.


But given the Defender's new target market, the SUV will also be more comfortable with improved ride and handling. The Defender will continue to use a live axle, but the ladder frame design will be replaced by a lightweight unibody mated to two separate subframes. As we previously reported, that unibody is said to be made out of aluminum. This architecture, called D7u, could preview what's in store for the rest of the Land Rover lineup. In addition to the improved ride, the new Defender will also benefit from enhanced interior quality, ergonomics, infotainment, safety, and efficiency. So not to completely alienate its current following, the Defender can be de-contented to save cost and weight. Things like air suspension and active body control will likely be retained, but infotainment options, a 360-degree camera, off-road-oriented navigation, adaptive extended-range headlights, hill descent and hill climb control, and a Terrain Response system will be optional. Land Rover expects to move 30,000 Defenders each year, which would be a big jump from the current model's sales. Though it may get a little softer, the next Defender will broaden its appeal, which will help it cross the pond to the U.S. Head over to AUTOMOBILE to read the full report. Land Rover DC100 concepts pictured. Source: AUTOMOBILE