As per other posts, IMHO and that of others, Land Rover seem to be evolving away from producing rugged workhorses. Defender has gone all complex and electronic, which is nice for a fun Mitsubishi Animal type vehicle, but not ideal for farmers, Africans, etc. They will need to replace it in a couple of years, but to date they don't have any idea what with. Their engineering is all moving towards fancy air suspension, electronic engine management, monocoque chassis etc, all of which would really piss the fanatic end of their user base (ie us lot) off, and isn't really what you would call field-maintainable.
But, if they ditch Defender, they're losing the icon at the core of their branding.
But over in Spain, Santana have been making basic, rugged, simple yet effective Land Rover based vehicles under license for years. They know a good thing or two about gearboxes and TDI engines. They also seem to be able to do it all for the sort of price farmers are prepared to pay, not the sort of price only stockbrokers can afford.
So, how about this. Land Rover contract out the workhorse end of their range to Santana, to design and manufacture agricultural/working vehicles under the Land Rover badge and sell them through a distinct but overlapping dealer network. That way:
- Land Rover keep their iconic status
- They don't have to worry about trying to design and manufacture something which is increasingly distant from their core business
- Santana get to keep doing what they're already doing quite well
- The farmers, enthusiasts and Africans get a cost-effective, rugged vehicle which you can maintain in the middle of the wilderness with a hammer and a welder, instead of an oscilloscope and soldering iron.
When they sign the deal, I want a cut of the proceeds.
David