New Land Rover Defender to be built in India
Next-generation version of Landy's iconic all-terrainer will be built in India to lower cost and boost logisticsFour years ago Land Rover gained Indian masters in the guise of Tata, and now the Indianisation of the venerable off-road brand is set to progress to the next level as plans are reportedly afoot to build the all-new Defender at the manufacturing base of its parent company in Pune (the second largest city after Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra).
According to a report by UK’s Autocar magazine, the new-age Defender would supplement the Indian-built Freelanders that are sold in Asia, with some models being sent back to the UK for final assembly “as part of a ‘reverse CKD’ operation”.
Speaking exclusively to respected UK-based Australian journalist Steve Cropley, Tata's Chairman said the initiative would lower the manufacturing costs of the Defender – obviously vital as its core job description is of a utilitarian nature.
Secondly, it would also put the manufacturing base close to the burgeoning Asia-Pacific markets where the vehicle is expected to generate strong demand.
It was originally thought the new Defender would be built on a lightweight monocoque chassis (indeed, chief designer Oliver Le Grice suggested as much in an exclusive interview with motoring.com.au last November), but it now appears the vehicle will adhere to its traditional body-on-frame construction.
Autocar suggests the use of a ladder-frame chassis would “keep the configurability of today’s models while offering much more modern packaging, comfort, controls and dynamics”.
The magazine adds the Defender would likely use lightened and updated versions of the T5 platform that underpins the current Discovery and Range Rover Sport.
As indicated by Le Grice in his interview with us last November, the Defender will stay true to the DC100 concept rolled out at last September’s Frankfurt motor show, but obviously the lights, wheels, interior and some of the detail elements will be toned down for the eventual showroom model.
Boosting economies of scale, the new Defender will share its chassis and many other major components with the Tata Aria, due on sale over the coming years, according to Autocar.
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