Land Rover Defender News

The Land Rover Defender will gain more V8 options for the 2026 model year (MY26) as the British firm moves to rejuvenate the much-loved off-roader with design and tech updates.

There’s a lot of attention paid to the rise of Chinese auto brands in Australia and their ever-increasing market share.Brands like BYD, Chery, GWM, MG and newer marques like Deepal, Geely, JAC, Leapmotor and Zeekr have collectively taken a bite out of the sales of some long-standing brands.But it’s not all doom and gloom for the more established, non-Chinese makes. In fact, a number of them are performing quite well on the sales charts so far this year.However, it’s not mainstream legacy brands that are on the up. In fact, a lot of the top-10 brands are treading water.With the exception of Fiat Professional, whose sales are up by 120 per cent this year, all of the other brands experiencing strong growth in 2025 are exotic, premium or semi-premium offerings.One of the semi-premium brands doing well in 2025 is Cupra. Volkswagen Group’s Spanish performance specialist has seen its overall sales shoot up by 35 per cent so far in 2025 after a slower 2024.While a couple of its models - the ageing Ateca SUV and the Leon small hatchback - have gone backwards on the sales charts, the striking Formentor SUV has increased by 54.8 per cent in 2025. At 469 sales so far, it’s not a massive number but it represents a big uptick for a newish name.The Born EV is also up this year by 24.2 per cent, while the only just arrived Tavascan electric SUV is expected to further boost Cupra’s sales thanks to keen pricing and sharp design. Facelifted versions of the Leon and Formentor arriving this year should only help Cupra’s upward trajectory.Mini is another semi-premium brand having an excellent 2025. The BMW-owned marque’s sales are up by 69.4 per cent so far (1394 versus 823 units). And it’s largely thanks to one model.The new-gen Countryman SUV has proven to be a massive hit, recording 553 sales which equates to a 369 per cent increase on Q1 last year. As well as enjoying positive media reviews, buyers have clearly warmed to the new Countryman’s more family-friendly dimensions, new tech and the option of petrol and fully-electric powertrains.Of course the Cooper hatch remains the brand’s top seller, with petrol and electric versions combining for a total of 634 sales, up 29.7 per cent.It might not be a premium brand in its US home market, but in Australia, Chevrolet takes a more upscale position as it only sells high-end, full-size pick-ups and sports cars.That strategy is clearly working because Chevrolet sales are up by 12.8 per cent so far in 2025, on the back of interest in the Corvette sports car. Z06 sales are up 250 per cent and the Stingray has increased by 50 per cent. The Silverado 1500 truck is the biggest seller with 627 sold in 2025, up by 14.4 per cent.Two of Australia’s most popular premium brands are also having a good year - Lexus and Mercedes-Benz.What’s interesting about Lexus is that its growth is mostly down to the compact LBX SUV. The little crossover has recorded a massive 353 per cent increase on its Q1 2024 tally with 598 sales.The LBX is easily outselling its slightly larger UX sibling and is just ahead of the aforementioned Cupra Forementor (469 sales) and Mini Countryman (553), but trailing the Audi Q3 (676) in the premium small SUV segment.The Toyota Prado-based GX large SUV is Lexus’ other solid performer with 285 sales.Mercedes is having an exceptional start to the year with a 31 per cent boost thanks to big sales increases on a number of its model lines.Key models having a good year include the E-Class (+223 per cent) and S-Class (+300 per cent) sedans, GLA (+139.2 per cent), GLC (+82.5 per cent) and GLS (+72.6 per cent) SUVs and EVs like the EQB (+270 per cent).Despite double-digit sales drops for most of its Range Rover models - Range Rover, Evoque and Velar - Land Rover has seen strong interest in the Defender (+61.2 per cent) and the Discovery Sport (+57 per cent) for a Q1 boost of 13 per cent.As is often the case in harsh economic times, the top end of town is sailing through unaffected. That is evident in sales of exotic brands in Australia, which are largely in positive territory.Rolls-Royce may have small volumes, but sales are up by 111 per cent this year, while sports car brands like Aston Martin (+34.1 per cent), Ferrari (+7.4 per cent), Lamborghini (+78.3 per cent) and McLaren (+100 per cent) are all well in front of the year prior.

The Kia Tasman ute hasn’t even arrived yet, but the outcry over its looks has been huge, with people saying it’s not just the ugliest car they have ever seen but the ugliest thing they’ve seen ever, like in their entire lives.

Land Rover isn’t done cashing in on the original Defender's icon status just yet.

The Land Rover Defender has gone next level.The British carmaker has revealed the new Defender Octa, an unstoppable high-performance four-wheel drive.Land Rover claims it is the most powerful and extreme Defender ever built and it’s easy to see why.Based on the five-door Defender 110, the Octa beefs up performance with a twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 with mild hybrid boost that is good for 467kW and 750Nm. This jumps to 800Nm when using the dynamic launch mode.Land Rover claims it can complete the benchmark 0-100km/h sprint in four seconds flat, which is impressive for a circa-2500kg machine.The British carmaker hasn’t provided fuel use figures, but if you are asking that question, this isn’t the car for you.The Defender Octa channels the Ford Ranger Raptor with a high-performance off-road mode dubbed Octa Mode.You don't accidentally select Octa Mode: it is only activated by a long press of the dedicated steering wheel or via the rotary dial or central touchscreen.After Octa Mode is engaged the ambient lighting turns red, the dials transform to provide power, torque and G-force readouts. The exhaust valves open and the gear shifts and steering is adjusted for a more dynamic character.Octa Mode is designed for scooting across loose gravel surfaces with ultimate control.The car’s active air suspension can read the road ahead and adjust on the fly. It can also detect if the vehicle is airborne and adjust the suspension to cushion the landing.It enables high degrees of wheel articulation and high levels of damping, while also maintaining taut body control and steering precision.Octa Mode also allows the Off-Road Launch feature for scintillating acceleration on loose surfaces.It’s not just about raw speed off-road, though. The Octa rides higher than the regular Defender for a total ground clearance of 323mm. Lifted suspension now allows for 550mm of wheel articulation and, combined with larger tyres, means approach and departure angles are improved to 40.2 and 42.8 degrees.Wading depth is increased by 100mm over all other Defenders.Land Rover has also boosted underbody protection to make the Octa even more off-road ready.The Defender Octa will be shown in the metal for the first time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed next week.In Australia the Defender Octa will be priced from $291,542 (before on-road costs) and the Defender Octa Edition One will start at $317,592.

A smaller version of the modern Land Rover Defender is set for a debut by 2027 according to JLR CEO Adrian Mardell at the company's investor conference.

Australians can't get enough of the Toyota Prado, so the related Lexus GX should surely be a hit too, right?

Land Rover has revealed its refreshed 2023 Defender range, now topped by a V8-powered 130, as well as introducing a luxurious Outbound grade and a new plug-in hybrid powertrain.Australia will also receive the 110 Hard Top workhorse later this year, which

Lexus is set to finally release its own spin-off of the hugely-awaited next-generation Toyota Prado in Australia at last, returning to the seven-seater SUV segment it recently abandoned with the now-defunct old-shape RX L.

Zany Tank 700 gets a tame makeover for its production version.