Tata’s JLR unveils new Land Rover Defender at Frankfurt auto show
Live MintLondon: One of the hottest launches at the Frankfurt auto show wasn’t a million-dollar supercar or mass-market bestseller but an updated version of a boxy, no-frills favorite of farmers, explorers and the military. The new Land Rover Defender, which traces its heritage back almost to World War II, was unveiled Tuesday, three years after stricter emissions and safety standards consigned the go-anywhere original to the history books. The new car’s most difficult mission might be satisfying die-hard Land Rover purists while meeting modern technical requirements that have found their way into rivals including the Mercedes-Benz G Wagon. The original Defender attracted early customers including Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth II, who drives the model on her country estates ‘Great move’ Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the University of Duisburg-Essen’s Center for Automotive Research, said the Defender is the Land Rover equivalent of Porsche AG’s iconic 911, but that JLR must still make a car for the modern age rather than being bound by its history. “Fans of the old Defender may be disappointed, but Land Rover needs to look to the future, and not get caught up with getting stuck in the past.” JLR Chief Executive Officer Ralf Speth said at the launch that the company has done just that, with the new Defender’s environmental credentials making it very much a 21st century car.