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jozg44 · 01-12-2006, 01:30 PM

The case for Land Rover staying out of the US utility market is looking increasingly shaky.

I used to understand Land Rover's reluctance to offer a Defender in the USA. That market is HUGE, and the NAS-spec Defenders cost a lot of money to make. From about 1974 onwards Land Rover has been strapped for cash. BMW had no interest in the Defender at all. I could see why Land Rover, which had enough problems keeping the Defender in the UK market, let alone the USA, kept out.

Now though, Ford has put loads of money into the Defender. It costs less to produce, build quality is (apparently) better than it has been for years (even if they still can't crack rustproofing), and the vehicles are still (I believe) the best out-of-the-box off-roaders you can buy (apart from Unimogs, which cost silly amounts of money and require an HGV license to drive)- a Defender 90 with a Td5, mud tyres and traction control is UNSTOPPABLE.

Sales in the UK have been increasing steadily (both the 'soft' Station Wagon versions and the more 'hard core' Commercial ones). Once the new 4-cylinder engine arrives later this year, then the Defender's big failing compared to the Japanese pick-ups (which is its low power and rather poor low-speed torque) should be gone.

If Land Rover crack their reliability/build quality problems, without making everything to complex (that's the key), then they'd be selling a beam-axled, 3-wheelbase, bolt-together 4x4 which is still the only commercial utility with coil-springs all-round, with a 4-ton tow weight and 150 horsepower. How could that not sell?

Basically, that is a very long way of saying that Land Rover has enough financial security (both from Ford and the great success of the Disco 3 /RRS) and the right vehicle, to give the North American market the Defender again.

I warned it would be a long post!

P.S- I'm still not exactly sure WHY the Defender can't be sold in the USA, and what they'd have to do to make it so. Is it emissions, crash safety or something silly like weight regulations?