Photo: Land Rover
Land Rover has dismissed the rumors that announced a rebirth of the Defender in the form it was manufactured until 2016.
The British company explained to Autocar that it does not want to let anyone build the Defender. The spokesperson quoted by the British magazine even stated that “there is no way this is happening,” when asked about the possibility of allowing someone else buy the intellectual property rights to the Defender and commence production of a new series.
Interestingly, a spokesperson from Ineos, the company owned by the British billionaire that was rumored to be the one who wanted to resume Defender production, has stated that they do not want to comment on the story. The reply was made “on behalf of Ratcliffe,” the billionaire in question.
It is understandable of Land Rover not to allow any other company to manufacture the old Defender, as the model is a part of its heritage and the automaker is not in dire need of cash.
The only chance of someone else building new Defender models lies within the hands of the British company, owned by the Indians at Tata Motors. Since the financial part of the deal is covered by the owners of Land Rover, there would be no reason for them to license trademarks, especially for iconic models.
The rumored rebirth of the Land Rover Defender was already under a shadow of disbelief, as Land Rover stopped making it because investments in the platform would have exceeded predicted revenue from sales. There were reports of Land Rover considering shifting Defender production to India, but these were also dismissed soon after they appeared.
Those wanting to buy a new Land Rover Defender will have to wait until 2018, when the next generation of the model is set to be launched. Meanwhile, the second-hand market is still an option for clients wanting a Defender as it used to be, but do not expect to get your hands on a 2015 or 2016 model at an affordable price.
Interestingly, a spokesperson from Ineos, the company owned by the British billionaire that was rumored to be the one who wanted to resume Defender production, has stated that they do not want to comment on the story. The reply was made “on behalf of Ratcliffe,” the billionaire in question.
It is understandable of Land Rover not to allow any other company to manufacture the old Defender, as the model is a part of its heritage and the automaker is not in dire need of cash.
The only chance of someone else building new Defender models lies within the hands of the British company, owned by the Indians at Tata Motors. Since the financial part of the deal is covered by the owners of Land Rover, there would be no reason for them to license trademarks, especially for iconic models.
The rumored rebirth of the Land Rover Defender was already under a shadow of disbelief, as Land Rover stopped making it because investments in the platform would have exceeded predicted revenue from sales. There were reports of Land Rover considering shifting Defender production to India, but these were also dismissed soon after they appeared.
Those wanting to buy a new Land Rover Defender will have to wait until 2018, when the next generation of the model is set to be launched. Meanwhile, the second-hand market is still an option for clients wanting a Defender as it used to be, but do not expect to get your hands on a 2015 or 2016 model at an affordable price.
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