Land Rover says new Defender will be polarising
Replacement for most iconic Land Rover will embrace new tech but won’t be a shrunken Discovery, says design chiefLand Rover creative director Gerry McGovern has spoken publically on the record about the British SUV brand’s all-new replacement for the iconic Defender for the first time.
Speaking to the Australian press at a round table discussion at the Los Angeles motor show today, McGovern declared that the all-new replacement for the 69-year old original would become the "backbone of the Land Rover brand".
Until now, the outspoken British design boss has been more than reluctant to discuss the Defender but, caught in a jovial mood, McGovern was happy to confirm exclusively that the next-generation Jeep Wrangler rival will not have visible rivets when it's launched in 2018 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the famous rugged SUV.
When asked if the next Defender would embrace technology or stick to its simple utilitarian roots, the Land Rover design boss said it would embrace new technology because for the off-road SUV to be a success it had to be "relevant" to future buyers.
"Let's face it, the previous one over a period of 68 years sold just over two million vehicles. If you think of the Evoque over five to six years it's sold over 700,000 in that period.
"In order to justify its investment, it's going to have to be a global vehicle. Future customers will not have any preconceived ideas about it and in order to get people to come to the brand customers will have to buy a Defender on its merit,” said McGovern.
Describing the Defender as the "most eagerly awaited vehicle launch in the automotive world.”, the Land Rover designer said he would "love" enthusiasts to embrace the new Defender.
Bute he acknowledged the same diehard fans probably wouldn't buy one as they already love their existing utilitarian Defenders.
Paying tribute to the loyal band of Defender enthusiasts, McGovern said he refused to create a pastiche of the original.
"I love the fact all these people are enthusiastic about it. I appreciate they're the ones driving the euphoria but if they're expecting to see a facsimile of the old one with all the latest tech, then I don't think they'll be satisfied.
"That said, I do think it needs to acknowledge the great heritage of Defender in terms of its capability, in terms of its robustness, its durability – but not necessarily its visual quality.
“You have to remember as it was built and evolved, the car-maker back then was like a cottage industry,” said McGovern.
Instead, the modern Defender will be inspired by the car-maker that makes it – modern, fully automated, highly technical and futuristic, said the designer.
Describing the design as "polarising", McGovern said he and his team tried not to dwell on redesigning an icon, but ruled out giving it derivative styling lifted from another Land Rover.
"Does that mean it will look like a new Discovery? Of course it won't. It has to go through the same rigour in design and for me it has to be honest and true for a vehicle we're producing today and not preoccupied with what's gone before,” he stated.
"To me a retrospective approach proves a lack of creativity," said McGovern.
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