Land Rover Can, But Won’t Go After Jeep Gladiator With Defender Pickup

And the reason for that is pretty simple.

By: Angel Sergeev

Apr 8, 2020 at 10:06am ET

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There were rumors that Land Rover could build a pickup based on the new Defender but back in November last year, those speculations were smashed by a high-level insider from the company. The unnamed source said back then that the new five-door Defender is already quite practical and is essentially “a ute with a roof.”

A new report from Autocar reaffirms the British manufacturer’s plans to ditch the idea of a Defender truck. According to the publication, a five-door pickup is “technically possible” on the D7x platform but it doesn’t make business sense because Land Rover is not an expert in the commercial pickup truck market.

Gallery: 2020 Land Rover Defender: First Drive

That doesn’t mean the automaker is not considering further additions to the new Defender’s lineup and it is believed a smaller, baby Defender, plus a Defender 90 commercial could be in the cards. Also, previously leaked documents revealed that, in addition to the 90 and 110, Land Rover intends to launch a bigger 130 version. The increased size of the off-roader would reportedly allow for seating for up to eight occupants.

Another important addition to the Defender’s range would be a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Also, over-the-air software upgrades will let the company upgrade the multiple ECUs so that the crossover's abilities can remain at the cutting edge.

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The new Defender launches in the United States this spring in a Defender 110 four-door flavor kicking off at $49,000. Just a few months later, the two-door Defender 90 will also go on sale as a First Edition launch model with a starting price of $65,100.

Note: Land Rover Defender Pickup by Kahn Design used as a lead image

Source: Autocar