Production of Defender to be stopped by Land Rover

Production of Defender to be stopped by Land Rover

The iconic and well-loved four-by-four, the Land Rover Defender, is to cease production in the next couple of years, it has been announced.

The final Land Rover Defender will roll off the production lines at the West Midlands Solihull production facility owned by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). These final models are thought to be scheduled to be produced in December of 2015. However, JLR have made it clear that a new vehicle is in the works to fill the hole left in the Land Rover range, and to stand alongside older siblings such as the Discovery, Freelander and Range Rover.

The Defender was based on the first vehicles that Land Rover produced during their beginnings in 1948, but it's image was upgraded to modern standards. First produced in the 1990s, the Defender has been used in films such as Skyfall and Tomb Raider, and is also said to be a favourite of Queen Elizabeth.

Both known and loved the world over, the Defender is also known for it's reliability. Whatever JLR has on it's books to replace it will have to be something very special indeed.

Land Rover currently has a royal warrant, which means they supply the royal household with produced goods. This has gone back to 1948, when the first models of Land Rover were inspected by the then King George VI. Queen Elizabeth received her first Land Rover vehicle in 1952, and has been seen driving such vehicles around ever since. Will Land Rover still remain by royal appointment after the Defender is phased out?

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