If there’s one car the British industry can be proud about (apart from the Mini), it’s the Defender. Land Rover’s 4×4 has been in production since 1949 and, even though it evolved somewhat over the decades, at heart it was always the same.
And even though Land Rover has licensed the manufacture of some derivatives and clones of the Defender in countries such as Turkey and Brazil, it was always built in Solihull, UK.
In three years’ time, this tradition will come to an end as Land Rover’s owner Tata Motors has decided to manufacture its 2015 replacement at its Prune plant in India and export it from there to the rest of the world.
According to the company’s chairman Ratan Tata who was interviewed by Autocar, the move will lower the manufacturing costs making the next Defender more affordable. Tata added that it will also bring its assembly closer to the Asia-Pacific region, where it is expected to be a strong seller.
Land Rover has already given us an early preview of the Defender replacement with its two DC100 concepts. According to the British magazine, the production version will likely be based on an updated version the T5 ladder chassis used by the current Discovery and Range Rover Sport.
Moreover, if Land Rover goes ahead with this plan, the next Defender will share many components with Tata’s own Aria SUV that will be assembled at the same plant, making its production even more cost-effective.
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