Successful chemicals tycoon Jim Ratcliffe is in talks with Jaguar Land Rover to revive production of the Defender, reports The Sunday Times.
Production of the iconic 4×4 came to an end at Land Rover’s production facility in Solihull after 68 years n January due to stricter emissions requirements and current crash regulations.
Ratcliffe, worth over £3 billion ($3.9 billion), is the owner of one of the final Defenders made and wants to kickstart production of the model on home soil by purchasing either the intellectual property rights to the car or parts of its production line. So far, he has declined to comment on the story.
Land Rover will, eventually, build a successor itself, but its launch has been pushed back to 2019. Moreover, it will not look like the DC100 concept that was displayed in 2011, with design director Gerry McGovern going for “modern simplicity” – whatever that means.
The all-new Defender will come in several bodystyles and two wheelbases, and will adopt feature an all-independent suspension setup, longitudinally-positioned engine and an all-wheel system with low range ‘box and transfer case.
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