Plans to spin off a dual-cab ute version of the born-again Land Rover Defender 110 have been scrapped, it’s been revealed at the Frankfurt motor show.
Speaking to carsales, a senior Jaguar Land Rover source acknowledged the existence of a leaked early PowerPoint presentation that detailed the dual-cab ute, but said that such a derivative had been dropped from the British car-maker's product plans.
Originally, early reports suggested the Defender pick-up would be launched in late 2020 or early 2021, and would be based on the forthcoming Defender 130, which reportedly measures in at 5100mm – 342mm longer than the Defender 110 revealed at the Frankfurt show.
Explaining Land Rover's decision for dropping plans for a dual-cab Defender 130, the JLR insider said: "Why would you buy a dual-cab ute when you see what you can put in the back of one of these – this is already a ute with a roof."
As well as ruling out a rugged, premium rival for the Toyota HiLux, the same JLR insider also disputed earlier reports that the cheapest Defender 90 two-door will be priced from about $50,000.
Instead, he suggested prices would kick off far higher than that, from "at least $60,000".
Orders for the 2020 Land Rover 110 five-door are now being taken ahead of first Australian deliveries from next June, with an indicative starting price of $70,000.
The little Defender 90, meanwhile, isn't expected to rock up until late 2020.