While the new Land Rover Defender has officially landed on U.S. shores, it will be in short supply, a new report has revealed.
Like so many other vehicles on the market, production of the 2020 Defender has been impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The factory that handles production of the new Defender in Nitra, Slovakia, was shut down for no less than eight weeks and is now only starting to resume production back up to pre-Covid 19 levels.
According to Auto News, Land Rover has delivered several hundred Defender models to dealerships in the United States and is starting the first customer deliveries to those at the front of the waiting list. The British car manufacturer expects all of its 188 dealerships in the U.S. to take delivery of at least one Defender by July.
Read More: Land Rover Defender Returns To U.S. Dealers After 23 Years
While the delay in production means some customers will have to wait a little longer than they may have expected, everything points towards the new Defender being worth the wait.
Sitting at the base of the U.S. range of models is the Defender P300, which is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder producing 296 hp. Slotting above this variant is the Defender P400 with a mild-hybrid 3.0-liter six-cylinder rated at 395 hp. Both engines are coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Underpinning the Defender is the company’s all-aluminum D7x platform that is said to be three times more rigid than a traditional body-on-frame design. Moreover, it uses Land Rover’s Configurable Terrain Response system that is backed up by independent suspension, a twin-speed transfer case, and permanent all-wheel drive.
