Report: Land Rover axes entry-level Defender replacement

There were rumors making rounds that the successor of Land Rover Defender is getting delayed over styling concerns, but now the latest report suggests that the basic version of this new model has been scrapped altogether.

The report from Autocar further states that the replacement of Land Rover Defender would not be made in India and so plans of an Indian engine factory have been put on hold for some time. The report even states that the replacement has been delayed until after 2015 which might be of some concern for the company as the existing model is expected to retire in 2015.

The changes are believed to be a result of Land Rover’s decision to base the Defender successor on the company’s aluminum PLA architecture. This means that the model is more likely to be upscale than originally anticipated, and inspite of that Land Rover is hopeful that it will still be cost competitive.