Iconic Revival: Land Rover Expected to Bring Defender Prototype to Frankfurt

We don’t know about you, but when we were little, there was nothing cooler than a big, muddy Defender rolling by in the city lanes on its beefy tires. We were pretty sad to hear that the legendary off-road’s future isn’t looking so bright, but there might be hope after all. Inside Lane writes that a concept version of something new and exciting is heading for the Frankfurt Auto Show this year. The awesome bit of info is that it will preview a totally new vehicle, not the existing model that’s been fitted with Euro 6 engines. Previous reports indicated that a new generation was to arrive in 2013 or later. It looks like the body on chassis construction will be kept, allowing for a number of configurations to be built, just like the current generation. Land Rover is making great progress in the interior finish department and is a master of materials, so expect changes in these key areas. There’s talk of increased prices and entry into the luxury market. The automaker needs to sell at least 60,000 units per year, but it only managed 18,000 last year. The new Defender had better be something of a Swiss army knife if it wants to more than triple sales. Let’s hope Land Rover doesn’t get too caught up in putting LEDs on everything, and remember what people actually used to love about the vehicles they made. This new generation sounds like it will draw a lot of interest from the old Hummer fans, so if the Brits manage to get it right, we might have another legend on our hands. Land Rover should stick with the proven formula -ladder frame that maybe uses lighter metals and modern assembly technologies, traditional coil springs (people don’t really want to hit 120 mph), aluminum chassis and a bit of plastic. Creature comforts aren’t what’s important, but durability is a must! autoevolution will be attending the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, so stay tuned for some real up close and personal shots of the vehicles, as well as for first-hand details of the motorized contraptions presented at the event.