No more Freelanders and Defenders.

True, according to Autocar magazine this week LR will discontinue the Freelander name next year when they launch a new stretched Evoque floorpan based smaller Discovery available with 5and 7 seat models and with the new range of 4 cylinder engines. The big scheme if things is that LR will have 3 vehicle ranges Defender, Discovery and Range Rover. The new baby Disco will be based on an extended Evoque but will look like a scaled down Disco not a big Evoque, there will also be a sub Evoque sized "urban" Discovery.
Also on the next double page spread in Autocar is the news that plans to develope a new factory and a new engine building plant in India have also been dropped along with plans to launch a Defender replacement in 2015 - there will now be no Defenders built after 2015, production will cease completely. NW that is good news for those of us that run existing cars as used values are already appreciating............. They don't say when the next Defender will be launched now. Apparrently it's all down to TATA in India making staggering losses as Nano has not been the sles hit it was expected to be and the larger version has been a sales flop too.

No new DC100
Looks like LR are going down the Germany car makes route, same car in 3 sizes.

Oh well. I'll just run my Freelander until it's too uneconomic to do so, as trade in values maybe next to nothing in another year then!

Maybe Defender replacement will make its way to the US doesn't the military use Defenders still or have they moved on like our hummer?

We still use the defender but its been on the cards for a long time that it might be replaced. Looks as if the time is about to be upon us.

Yes we still use Defenders but not the TD5 or Puma engined versions as they have ECUs that would be wiped out by the EMP of a Nuclear bomb. The Army here re-engines and recycles older ones with the TDi engines so our army hasn't purchased modern Land Rovers for a few years now. The Tdi engine has no electronics whatsoever, it's also why they are very popular with folks that buy ex army Defenders - simple mechanicals to work on. Some years ago there was a move to buy Puch-Styer Austrian build utility 4x4's for the UK army but that seems to have gone by the board. Hummers are no use to Europeans - they are too big and wide for European roads, they also have gasoline engines .......

(15-05-2013 10:45am)doug Wrote:  No new DC100
Looks like LR are going down the Germany car makes route, same car in 3 sizes.

I hope not, there are too many boring cars out there!

Though I wouldn't believe everything you read in press.