New Land Rover Defender delayed

News has emerged that development of a Land Rover Defender successor -- after close to three decades -- has been delayed.

Land Rover first previewed its next-generation Defender with its DC100 concept in 2011 and shortly after confirmed that a production version would arrive in 2015.

Around the same time, reports emerged claiming Land Rover was planning a whole range of Defender variants including a low-cost version likely to be built in India.

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Now, Land Rover global brand director John Edwards has revealed to Autocar that the new Defender won’t be ready by 2015. The existing Defender, however, will still be phased out in 2015 due to tougher emissions regulations coming into play.

Edwards didn’t reveal why the new Defender was being delayed, though it’s thought that a switch to Land Rover’s PLA aluminum platform found in upmarket Range Rover models is the likely cause. This means that the new Defender will likely remain a premium product and keep its off-road prowess.

Going premium also means that the new Defender could be built profitably in the UK instead of having to be sourced from low-cost countries such as India.

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