Fresh reports have emerged suggesting that the next-generation Land Rover Defender won’t be produced in the UK and instead in an Eastern European factory.
The most likely candidates for next-gen Defender production are consequently either Hungary or Poland. Jaguar Land Rover doesn’t currently have a factory in Hungary or Poland and Autocar claims that the new factory will be responsible for the construction of models utilising the marque’s latest aluminium architecture.
The reason why a new factory is tipped to be constructed is because Jaguar Land Rover’s three UK plants are already operating at maximum capacity. If the firm opts for Hungary, the plant could be near Gyor allowing JLR to draw on the supplier base of Audi in the region. As for Poland, it sees less likely but is still a candidate.
Beyond producing the next-gen Land Rover Defender, the new factory could also be responsible for creating the brand new Discovery 5 set for a release next year. This would leave the Halewood facility to produce the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport while the Castle Bromwich site will handle the new XF and F-Pace crossover. As for the Solihull plant, it pumps out the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Jaguar XE.
As for the new Land Rover Defender itself, it will be underpinned by the manufacturer’s aluminium monocoque used and developed in conjunction with Jaguar. As for power, Jaguar’s new inline-four cylinder turbocharged diesel and petrol engines are likely to be available alongside a selection of Jaguar-sourced V6s. As for transmissions, both eight-speed and nine-speed ‘boxes have apparently received the go-ahead for production.
[Via Autocar]
