There’s something deliciously old-school about the Land Rover Defender. The product of continuous development since 1948 and produced in its current form since 1983, the Defender is to SUVs what the Porsche 911 is to sports cars: unapologetically faithful to its original form. But while the iconic Land Rover is still the very embodiment of the go-anywhere vehicle, the company is reportedly preparing to give it a complete overhaul.
Initial reports pertaining to the development of a new vehicle typically come with few details because inside sources remain tight-lipped. In this case, it appears that there are no details to be divulged simply because Land Rover hasn’t decided what they’ll be yet. At this point, according to British reports, JLR is intensively studying what is needed before it goes ahead with development – which strikes us as a smart course of action when you’re dealing with replacing a vehicle as legendary as the Defender.
All we know at this point is that the new Defender is likely to feature a highly adaptable chassis on which will be built a wide variety of body types, from convertibles to wagons to pickups. After Land Rover does finally decide on the way forward, it is expected to unveil a concept sometime in early 2013 before it can begin production in 2015.
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