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  Defender's off-road ability, durability and towing capability are still head and shoulders above the competition.

Land Rover has been threatening to produce a new version of its hardcore Defender for many years.

But these plans could finally come to fruition with the DC100 concept that the company is exhibiting at the Frankfurt motor show.

Land Rover has confirmed that it "intends" to put the all-new Defender into production in 2015 - four years from now. We spoke with Land Rover's program director Murray Murray Dietsch about its plans for Defender.

Dietsch, an Aussie, has responsibility for all of Land Rover's current and future models. He said the Defender was so many things to so many people, it was a hard act to follow.

"The difficulty is that it has to be a lot more relevant to a lot more people," he said. "We're working on it but we need to make sure that what we end up doing is not going to dilute Defender in the future."

Defender's roots go way back to 1948 and during that period Land Rovers have earned a reputation as the most rugged and versatile off-road vehicles in the world. Since the current model's introduction in 2007, the Defender has consistently sold an average of 25,000 units a year worldwide.

Retail and utility customers, armed forces and NGOs in over 100 countries believe that the Defender's off-road ability, durability and towing capability are still head and shoulders above the competition.

Such a unique combination of attributes explains why this legendary vehicle commands such exceptionally high standards of customer loyalty. The DC100 concept shown in Frankfurt builds upon the essential elements of the car's character and allows Land Rover to open the debate and inspire people to dream about the Defenders of the future.

In the meantime, the current Defender has once again been updated, this time with a new 2.2-litre turbo diesel. Though a smaller capacity, the new donk delivers the same power, torque and economy as its outgoing unit.

It produces 90kW of power at 3500 revs and 360Nm of torque at 2000 revs and brings greater levels of refinement to the timeless off roader. With the new engine comes a full acoustic engine cover replacing the previous splash cover. It reduces radiated engine noise and improves driving refinement.

Performance figures are similar to the superseded 2.4-litre engine, though the top speed has been raised to 145km/h compared to 132km/h for the previous version. The six-speed gearbox has been retained for 2012 with its wide ratio spread, high top gear for cruising and enhanced low-speed crawl capability.

The lower first gear offers low crawl speed making towing on-road and off-road much easier. The low-down engine torque also helps in-gear acceleration and the tall sixth gear ensures easy real-world cruising, refinement and fuel economy. Ground gears in both the gearbox and transfer box help contribute to the refinement of the transmission.

Final pricing for 2012 Defender will be announced in coming weeks and will be on-sale in Australia from December 2011.