The Next Land Rover Defender Might Not Be Here Until 2019

Amid much fanfare last month, the last ever Land Rover Defender rolled off the production line. But, amid all the celebrations, farewell articles and the slightly excessive outpourings of grief, one serious question remained: just what will Land Rover replace the thing with?

Indecision over a replacement led to the old Defender being produced for much longer than it really should have been, and it also means we’ll have to wait a while before a new Defender arrives. A Jaguar Land Rover source suggested to Autocar that the new vehicle could be available in 2018, but the publication seems to think this is more likely the debut year for a near-production concept, and that 2019 is more likely for the full production version.

Exactly what kind of car we’ll get (the DC100 concept above, originally intended to preview the next Defender, appeared way back in 2011) is still unknown. An aluminium monocoque chassis is expected, and it seems likely that construction will take place in JLR’s Slovakia factory, which will open in 2018.