New Defender stops production

New Defender stops production

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SNR99

Original Poster:

5 posts

118 months

Thursday 15th October 2020
quotequote all
JLR have told dealers they can’t honour any orders made after August 2020, after been given a 3/4 month delivery target, customers are now being told they are being put onto a 2021 production schedule plus a probable price rise. Dealers are being told its due to reconfiguration of the Diesel engines (what? After only 6 months?) but for some undisclosed reason it also affects Delivery of the petrol engine versions. Maybe selling more L/H drives to the USA? Stunning customer relations, even their dealers don’t know what’s going on. If JLR are typical of big vehicle manufacturers, then it’s no surprise the industry has a problem!

unsprung

5,817 posts

131 months

Thursday 15th October 2020
quotequote all


SNR99 said:
Maybe selling more L/H drives to the USA?
According to CarSalesBase, Land Rover have sold only 1900 units of new Defender in the US.

It has been offered there since June.

Meanwhile, Ford has confirmed receipt of "more than" 165,000 pre-orders for the 2021 Bronco (Each order backed by a $100 refundable deposit). If we assume 12 months of production, those pre-orders, theoretically speaking, equate to more than 13,000 units per month.



cheddar

4,637 posts

181 months

Thursday 15th October 2020
quotequote all
unsprung said:
Land Rover have sold only 1900 units of new Defender in the US.

It has been offered there since June.

Meanwhile, Ford has confirmed receipt of "more than" 165,000 pre-orders for the 2021 Bronco.
That Bronco killed Defender sales in the USA and the extra kick in the nuts for LR is that its start price is only $30k.

bennno

12,674 posts

276 months

Thursday 15th October 2020
quotequote all
SNR99 said:
JLR have told dealers they can’t honour any orders made after August 2020, after been given a 3/4 month delivery target, customers are now being told they are being put onto a 2021 production schedule plus a probable price rise. Dealers are being told its due to reconfiguration of the Diesel engines (what? After only 6 months?) but for some undisclosed reason it also affects Delivery of the petrol engine versions. Maybe selling more L/H drives to the USA? Stunning customer relations, even their dealers don’t know what’s going on. If JLR are typical of big vehicle manufacturers, then it’s no surprise the industry has a problem!
2L Diesel 4 cylinders are being replaced with 3L straight 6 cylinders - no price rise.

abzmike

9,256 posts

113 months

Thursday 15th October 2020
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Kind of odd that I got a couple of emails from dealers today offering cheap-ish leases on Defenders.

cheddar

4,637 posts

181 months

Thursday 15th October 2020
quotequote all
bennno said:
2L Diesel 4 cylinders are being replaced with 3L straight 6 cylinders - no price rise.
I'd be miffed if I'd purchased the 2 litre 4 pot only to find out I could have had a 3 litre 6 for the same money.

craigjm

18,470 posts

207 months

Thursday 15th October 2020
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bennno said:
2L Diesel 4 cylinders are being replaced with 3L straight 6 cylinders - no price rise.
Whats the source for that?

bennno

12,674 posts

276 months

Friday 16th October 2020
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craigjm said:
bennno said:
2L Diesel 4 cylinders are being replaced with 3L straight 6 cylinders - no price rise.
Whats the source for that?
https://buildyour.landrover.co.uk/lr2/r/engine/_/en_gb/l663_k21/483wt/a-l663/?_ga=2.44238884.1825536819.1602804714-1715739705.1602804714

dhutch

15,236 posts

204 months

Friday 16th October 2020
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bennno said:
Fixed to be clickable.

Oilchange

8,755 posts

267 months

Friday 16th October 2020
quotequote all
cheddar said:
unsprung said:
Land Rover have sold only 1900 units of new Defender in the US.

It has been offered there since June.

Meanwhile, Ford has confirmed receipt of "more than" 165,000 pre-orders for the 2021 Bronco.
That Bronco killed Defender sales in the USA and the extra kick in the nuts for LR is that its start price is only $30k.
I'd love to be able to afford a LR but at the prices they are asking, no way. And with crank failure from earlier models why would anyone invest in an expensive foreign and potentially big bills 4x4 when Ford are knocking out a funky looking Bronco massively cheaper.
If LR have taken such a massive sales hit, I'm surprised they didn't see it coming to be honest.

A.J.M

8,012 posts

193 months

Friday 16th October 2020
quotequote all
Crank issues aren’t on the engines that are in the Defender.
That was the V6 diesels.

The new engines are straight 6 with mild hybrid tech.

Surprised the claim of dropping production.
They can’t get enough in some markets.
Australia has sold out of next years diesel models already, according to Australian people on the new Defender fb groups.

craigjm

18,470 posts

207 months

Friday 16th October 2020
quotequote all
cheddar said:
bennno said:
2L Diesel 4 cylinders are being replaced with 3L straight 6 cylinders - no price rise.
I'd be miffed if I'd purchased the 2 litre 4 pot only to find out I could have had a 3 litre 6 for the same money.
Not the first time they have done that. They launched the original Jaguar XF in 2008 with a 2.7 diesel and then about 6 months later discontinued it for the 3.0. Anyone that buys a JLR vehicle as an early adopter always gets kicked in the face with things like this or just ending up finding all the faults

camel_landy

5,081 posts

190 months

Friday 16th October 2020
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It's not just the Defender having the supply problems...

'21 Evoque:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=18...

Discovery Sport:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=18...

M

Oilchange

8,755 posts

267 months

Friday 16th October 2020
quotequote all
A.J.M said:
Crank issues aren’t on the engines that are in the Defender.
That was the V6 diesels.

The new engines are straight 6 with mild hybrid tech.
I said earlier models, should have said Discovery but same company. Point was major engine failure doesn't inspire confidence in the brand, plus they are like bottom of the reliability lists? For what is an expensive car.
Bronco won't come to the UK by the looks of it... shame

unsprung

5,817 posts

131 months

Friday 16th October 2020
quotequote all


Has Bronco really killed sales of Defender?

The answer, I would say, is both yes and no. And mostly the latter. (happy to hear other arguments of course)

Certainly there's some cross-shopping among potential buyers of these two vehicles. But Defender is devoted to the premium segment and wears a commensurate price tag.

Conversely, the RRP for each of the six trim levels of Bronco is lower than the RRP for the base model of Defender 110. This applies to both two- and four-door Bronco.

You can spec a Bronco to a premium level, but premium is not the brand's raison d'etre. Rather, Bronco endeavours to be about fun:

. . . It has a removable top and doors, features not offered on Defender

. . . It allows for a high degree of personalisation via accessories and upgrades; hundreds of these are available, installed, at the dealership; the aftermarket will be larger still

. . . A large minority of buyers will use their Broncos expressly for social gatherings, beach weekends, and off-road activities with friends and acquaintances, many of whom will also own Broncos

. . . For a large minority of buyers, Bronco will be the second or third car (and less often the daily driver).

In most countries, there are a number of everyday brands that enjoy a sort of universal appeal -- an acceptance across a range of diverse households. Bronco, in its domestic market, has a bit of that in its DNA. Reminds me of Levi's jeans. (again: talking solely about the domestic market)

This is a notable contrast to the reputation of Defender which, in the US, is nothing if not upmarket. This isn't merely about style; it's about delivering on comfort almost regardless of terrain.

Funnily enough, we can say that the elements -- the outdoors and the weather -- can be part of the Bronco experience, if you wish. Defender, meanwhile, works to ensure that the elements remain at bay -- until you dismount, as it were.

Defender is also, to those in the US who know of it, overtly British (the RP-speaking kind, not the "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" kind). It's a vehicle that manages to fit in the boot the very ideas of the Rhodes Colossus and inventors, cup of tea at arm's length, tinkering in sheds.

And, as others in this thread have mentioned, there is also the reputation for reliability wrought by Land Rover.

Given all of the above, Bronco's closest competitor is Jeep Wrangler (five year sales average: 200,000+ units per annum).

Defender is present in the segment to some extent, but it stands rather apart. Or above, I should say. Furthermore, Defender participates simultaneously in another segment of the US market (a segment where Bronco and Wrangler are absent).



Andeh1

7,200 posts

213 months

Friday 16th October 2020
quotequote all
cheddar said:
unsprung said:
Land Rover have sold only 1900 units of new Defender in the US.

It has been offered there since June.

Meanwhile, Ford has confirmed receipt of "more than" 165,000 pre-orders for the 2021 Bronco.
That Bronco killed Defender sales in the USA and the extra kick in the nuts for LR is that its start price is only $30k.
Two different segments with two different demographics. Like saying a focus is stealing 5 series sales..... One is cheaper, but they don't compete like that.


Edit: That'll teach me for not reading the whole thread. Very well said Unsprung.

Edited by Andeh1 on Friday 16th October 20:56

dhutch

15,236 posts

204 months

Saturday 17th October 2020
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So what the hold up?

-Engineering issues
-Covid lock down issues
-Lack of sales

Presumably not exclusively the later if failing to fulfill orders.

Blackpuddin

17,319 posts

212 months

Saturday 17th October 2020
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This American's Defender threw a check engine light after 160 miles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtdBunnvnq4

Oilchange

8,755 posts

267 months

Saturday 17th October 2020
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Blackpuddin said:
This American's Defender threw a check engine light after 160 miles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtdBunnvnq4
Said it had the small 4 cylinder, could that be why they are selling them with the straight 6 only now? I wonder...

warch

2,941 posts

161 months

Saturday 17th October 2020
quotequote all
Blackpuddin said:
This American's Defender threw a check engine light after 160 miles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtdBunnvnq4
Clickety clickety clickbait