Brainstorming about succes, or unsucces of the Defender…
Land Rover Defender
Many places we can read that Defender doesn’t sell enough to keep the model living. The development take too much money, and the incomes are low.
Many other places we can read that Defender is too rubbish, old and obsolete for todays. Maybe it’s right. The base of Defender – the rigid axles, the separate chassis and bolt-on body – maybe really not the most modern type of a car, but maybe it doesn’t even need to be that. I started thinkig about the two other Mohikans. The old Toyota Land Cruiser (the 70 series), and the Mercedes G (the full-trash tractor type, which is used by the armys).
Are they more modern than nowaday’s Defender? Definately NOT.
Look at the TLC 70.
TLC70
A very simple and rugged turbodiesel engine, chassis and a body as primitive as a nail. Does it have electric windows? No. Does it have hill decent controll or anti-stall? No. Does it have traction control? No. Does it have pedestrian-proof grille or bumper? LOL. It has three difflocks, rigid axles, and low gear. Does it need any other stuff to be a hard offroader? NO. Look through its option list, and laugh! You’ll find that’s practically a Series III Land Rover covered with a Toyota body. And it sells massive! It sells in Australia, in the middle east and far-east, in the USA, even in Europe. MANY of them get bought.
Look the other old fart, the Mercedes G.
Mercedes G W461
Mercedes took the other way. Merc made the G a luxury monstre, with 600BHP engines, 7speed automatic transmission, and if it’s not enough, you can get it in AMG version, stuffed with even more power, speed and luxury. Like a Range Rover, or a Range Rover Sport. BUT Mercedes still made G in a simple type. Three difflocks, a relatively simple diesel engine, seats made from plastic, not leather, bumpers made of steel, where the metallic colour is an extra option. And it sells. The simple type too. Many of armies order it in hundreds. And it doesn’t have and doesn’t can do anything more than a Defender could.
Look at the Defender. All the articles in the automotive writing tells us, the Defender is obsolete.
Land Rover Defender X-Tech 2011
WTF? It has a modern engine, a 6 speed gearbox, it has hill decent control, traction control, ABS, it has anti-stall engine control, you can buy it equipped with electric windows, air conditioning, and even if you stuff up with dozens of little extras it remains the really tough guy when you need it off the road. What the fuck are these articles talkin’ about?
It’s absolutely clear that this days the Defender is the highest equipped with modern developement amongst the simple hardcore offroaders!
And it doesn’t sells enough? Why?
I think so that this is exactly the point why it doesn’t sells enough. It’s got to be too modern and too complicated and has too many electricity to repair in the bushes using a simple toolbox.
There are three main market you can sell Defenders.
1. Europe, where it needed to be a simple utility truck.
Land Rover Defender 110 Mountain Rescue
For farmers, hunters and for guys who want to use it like mountain rescues, and others. They need a simple, easily repairable car. I can tell that they doesn’t need even the hill decent control, or the anti-stall stuff, because they drive Landy off road all day, and they has the rutin how to drive a simple car off the road.
2. Europe, in the city.
Defender in the City by Ben Cobley
Yes, it’s clear that many Defender doesn’t get off the road in it’s life a minute, and are driven in the city. Because it’s cool. I know there isn’t too much crazy people want to use a Defender for a general city car, but after all, some do! They are enthusiasts (like me too), who even can’t imagine to use any other than a Land Rover. Not too big market, but these guys will buy the most modern type of Defender (not the DC100, but the real Defender loaded with all the electric stuffs, and heated windscreens, and hi-fi).
3. The developing countries in the third world, Australia, Asia. These are the markets which are LOST for Land Rover since many years. Land Rover lost these markets because Defender got to be too complicated car for itself. Build a simple type (like the simple G, or the TLC70), and it will beat the two others hard on that markets. Wake up Land Rover! You can reach one of the BIGGEST market through Tata. INDIA. You could sell as many simple Defender in India as many you just want, or can imagine. Keep it simple, build it in India in the Tata’s factory, and India’s market will be yours! And from there you will can get back to the other markets like Africa, and Australia.
Simplicity and sturdyness. These are the selling point of these REALLY HUGE markets, where you can make MONEY. And these markets… sorry, I’m wrong. Not just these markets, but there isn’t ANY market on the world which would need a Defender like the DC100. Land Rover has great cars for city use or to use light offroad, like the Freelander. Doesn’t need to be another one like that, BUT it need to be a simple and robust hardcore off road utility truck.
Defender once WAS that. Get your asses guys, and make Defender again to be a the king of offroad!
Túl sok információt nem tudtam elsőre az autóról, így felajánlottam, hogy elmegyek, megnézem, mégiscsak több tanácsot lehet így adni, hogy mennyit lehetne kérni az autóért. Első hallásra a szokásos, elmondások szerint a motor rendben van, a kasztni viszont kicsit viseltes. Gondoltam, egy próbát megér – nem mintha meg kívánnám venni, van már kettő, de hátha érdekel valakit – elmegyek, megnézem. Egész kellemes meglepetés ért, a karosszéria nincs is olyan nagyon rossz állapotban, sőt… a kritikus pontokon (első taposólemez, küszöbök, hátsó kereszttartó a csomagtér végén) még gondoskodás nyomai is látszanak, valamikor az összes ilyen problémát kijavították, és azóta ránézésre még nem rontott rá az idő, és a sós víz vasfoga, hogy csámcsogva falja fel.
