Defender production revival unlikely says JLR

ATTEMPTS by a leading businessman to revive production of the Land Rover Defender appear unlikely today.

There has been growing speculation in the press that Jim Ratcliffe, owner of chemicals group Ineos, might be on the verge of using his massive wealth to fund an audacious move to put the classic 4×4 back into limited production.

Reports have said the businessman has even held talks with Jaguar Land Rover owner, Tata Motors about the possibility.

However, JLR sources quoted in motoring magazine Autocar, have said there are no plans to restart Defender production.

The company wants to retain the rights to the vehicle and is planning on developing a new version of the off-roader which meets current emissions legislation at some point in the not too distant future.

Production of the Defender at Land Rover’s Lode Lane plant ended in January after 68 years.

However, the popularity of the vehicle remains undiminished and specialist companies are already snapping up recent models for bespoke conversions, while speculators are doing likewise but exporting the vehicles to buyers all over the world.

Land Rover itself is retaining much of the machinery used for production because it plans a series of Heritage editions as part of its Special Vehicle Operations arm.

It is therefore unlikely it would be prepared to hand over any intellectual property rights associated with the vehicle, although non-essential pieces of the former production line could be surplus to requirements.

Some parts of the production process have been unchanged for decades and there are suppliers which have been producing components on a consistent basis since the first vehicle rolled off the production line in 1947.