August 31, 2011

The next Defender

Here's the 2015 Land Rover Defender – or something quite close to it. 4wdNewz is the first medium in New Zealand to publish photos of the DC100 concept to be shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show starting Sept 13. Land Rover's head designer, Gerry McGovern, said of the DC100, "replacing the iconic Defender is one of the biggest challenges in the automotive design world; it is a car that inspires people worldwide.  This isn't a production-ready concept but the beginning of a four-year journey to design a relevant Defender for the 21st century." Despite that, the DC100's lines are likely to be similar to those of the final vehicle. The company now plans to "engage with existing and potential customers to help finalise the details of the new vehicle." No word on engines, suspension or platform.


UPDATE: If this posting interests you, have a look here. And check the comments (below) for Duncan Munro's well reasoned view on why this is not, and never will be, a Defender.


And some computer generated photos following the concept's Frankfurt unveiling. The "sports car" version is sort-of interesting.




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10 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 31, 2011 at 4:31 PM

    It looks like a Kia Soul. Not good.

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  2. John at WaitaraSeptember 1, 2011 at 9:16 AM

    I like it. I'd probably have one if I had the dough. Looks like it would stretch nicely into a 110

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  3. disco2hseSeptember 1, 2011 at 11:19 AM

    Two comments I guess. Looks a lot the new Toyota FJ and one must hope it does not come out with low profile tyres. 0_o

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  4. Phil HansonSeptember 1, 2011 at 5:33 PM

    I guess low profile tyres and show cars go together, but I'll bet the production version will have "proper" rubber. Incidentally, the plan is to spin-off a whole range of versions, including a ute that can compete with the Japanese.

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  5. Johnny GSeptember 2, 2011 at 11:14 AM

    It looks like a swollen Suzuki Swift. Don't care for it.

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  6. disco2hseSeptember 4, 2011 at 8:27 AM

    A ute version will be interesting to see. An idea of wheelbases? I guess DC100 refers to 100" wheelbase,which has been missing from the Defender line-up.

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  7. Phil HansonSeptember 4, 2011 at 9:40 AM

    Yes, the '100' refers to wheelbase; still not sure what the DC stands for. An ideal mid-point between the 90 and 110, it'll be interesting to see if they try to fit everything onto this one platform, or stretch it.

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  8. AnonymousSeptember 8, 2011 at 7:21 PM

    Defender Concept 100 or DC 100 for short is a likely interpetation of the name.

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  9. Phil HansonSeptember 9, 2011 at 9:06 AM

    Yes, Defender Concept seems likely, Anonymous. Given that a "new" Defender has been mooted since the 1990s, I'm wondering whether the 100 stands not for the wheelbase but the number of concepts to get us to this point! Just kidding, it's the wheelbase.

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  10. Duncan MunroSeptember 12, 2011 at 4:55 PM

    I don't believe it is a Defender and shouldn't be badged as such. It doesn't follow on the lines of the Series 1 to Defender Tdci range. They should simply cease making Defenders for First World countries. Move Defender to Third World countries (where it is needed) and call and badge this one by a different name.
    They have successfully done that with Range Rover, Discovery and Freelander, and could do so with this one.

    This is one of the major arguments in my book: A Farmer's Affair - the Legend of the Land Rover Icon.

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