The all-new Land Rover Defender family, due in 2015, could become the marque's biggest-selling model, according to brand boss John Edwards. The firm is targeting the success of the Toyota Hilux, which sold 549,000 units worldwide in 2011.
Today’s Defender sold just under 20,000 units. Edwards says Land Rover is being “encouraged to look at it as a 20-year plan with global potentialâ€.
The new Defender will be developed into a line-up with “wide appeal and a low cost baseâ€, and Edwards’ ambition is “to become a global maker, not a UK maker selling globallyâ€.
The clear signal that the new model needs both a low cost base and a global manufacturing footprint suggests that the majority of new Defenders will be built outside the UK.
The company also seems serious about making the new model genuinely in the mould of the original. “We’re talking to sub-Saharan Africa buyers about cost of ownership and ease of maintenance,†Edwards added. “That it’s functional, durable and affordable are central to our thoughts. The engineers and designers are really getting engaged.â€
Enjoy the week's top pictures in our free Car Pics iPad app - great high-res photography (1024x768 pixels) exclusive to the iPad
Join the debate
Add your comment
Re: Defender to top Land Rover sales
I guess here, the key word is global. For Tata to invest that much money they want to see production move away from the UK. This will help to drive down the list price for third-world locations, and may help improve the build quality. India and Thailand are both up and coming production centres for the automobile industry, and both with a low wage base.
Re: Defender to top Land Rover sales
so, they couldnt cope with the launch orders for the evoque (which were less than the 'dissapointing' sales of the Defender) with huge delays and pushed back build slots/dodgy quality issues etc and they intend to ramp up production 20 fold in 2 years how exactly?
Re: Defender to top Land Rover sales