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The Land Rover Defender has been a stalwart in the international off-road segment since 1983. Remaining largely unchanged since its inception, the traditional body-on-frame sport-ute has been a hit across Europe—although it has been kept from us in the United States, aside from a short period that spanned from 1993-1997. But as Land Rover recently announced, the next-generation Defender will be treated to a major revision that includes aluminum unibody construction and, luckily, availability in the United States.
Automotive News reports that the reconfigured design will help the Defender in various categories, including weight and safety. It will reportedly share a platform with the new Range Rover, not only making it lighter, but cheaper to produce as well. It will also borrow Ingenium four-cylinder gas and diesel engines from its fellow Jaguar-Land Rover products, bringing it up to speed with the rest of the marque’s modernized lineup. The new platform will reportedly be shared with the current Range Rover, helping to improve its safety and meet safety requirements in foreign markets.
The report also included that the Defender will be “sold in all global markets,” meaning it will be sold in America for the first time in 20 years. A few European examples have found their way across the Pond to our shores, but it looks like this will be the first case of mass-produced units headed to the U.S.in a very long time
Expect to see a concept version of the new Defender surface as early as next year, with a production model hitting showrooms in 2019.
