A new report suggests Land Rover will launch a pickup variant of the next-generation Defender in 2017.
Scheduled to bow after the five- and seven-seater variants arrive in showrooms worldwide, the pickup will be positioned considerably higher on the market than the current Defender in order to take on well-appointed trucks like the Volkswagen Amarok. Land Rover is keeping its lips sealed about the truck, but rumors indicate it will take the form of a five-seater crew cab with a relatively long bed.
Offered with either a gasoline- or a diesel-burning engine, the Defender will boast best-in-class off-road capacity thanks in part to a permanent all-wheel drive system. A manual transmission will likely come standard on base models while an automatic will equip more expensive trim levels.
If the rumor proves true, look for more details about the Defender pickup to emerge next year. All versions of the next Defender will likely cross the Atlantic and join the company’s U.S. lineup.
The end of an icon
Land Rover has confirmed it will axe the Defender at the end of 2015 due to strict safety and emissions regulations that will come into effect throughout Europe. While it is technically possible to fit a more efficient engine in the Defender’s engine bay, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the truck to stay in compliance with Europe’s ever-stricter safety norms because its basic design precedes the Cold War.
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