New Launches
Show Report: CV Show 2012
What a cracking event the 2012 Commercial Vehicle Show turned out to be, thanks in no small part to Ford… Read More
Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Long-Term Test 1
We has just taken delivery of a Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Club Cab for long-term appraisal… Read More
Ford Transit ECOnetic Brief Test
We’ve been putting a SWB 100hp 2.2TDi Euro 5 Transit 280 ECOnetic through its paces… Read More
Renault Kangoo ZE 2011 European Launch
Renault is at the forefront of manufacturers offering a mass produced factory-built electric van… Read More
Fuso Canter 2011 European Launch
Fuso has completely revamped its range of light and heavy truck Canter chassis and chassis crew cabs… Read More
Iveco Daily 2011 European Launch
Iveco has introduced new, latest generation diesels to its Daily range, along with detail changes inside and out… Read More
Ford Transit 2011 European Launch
Ford takes the iconic Transit to the next stage with an all-new range of 2.2-litre Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Volkswagen Crafter 2011 UK Launch
VW’s large panel van has undergone a serious makeover with changes to the front-end styling and the cab interior, as well as new Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Ford Transit Connect Electric Brief Test
We spent a day with the battery-powered Connect to get a better idea of what it’s like to live with in its natural, urban environment. Read More
Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL Brief Test
Currently undergoing trials with selected fleet customers in the UK, we managed to get behind the wheel of a battery-powered Vito E-CELL… Read More
Defender 2015 concepts unveiled in Frankfurt
Land Rover is committed to replacing the iconic Defender in 2015 with all-new models and it debuted three DC100 Concepts — car, van and Sport — at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.First introduced in 1948 the Defender was the first mass-produced, go-anywhere four-wheel drive car/light commercial and it’s not going to be an easy task to replace it with an all-new range. Land Rover is well aware of this and rolled out the DC100 concepts to gauge public reaction. The big surprise was the Sport Concept which is aimed straight at the leisure, fun sector of the market.
It makes a great deal of sense to go down this route in parallel with the more mainstream passenger-carrying and light commercial models. Land Rover has to expand the appeal of the Defender to maximise sales volumes of the new model range to justify the huge R&D expenditure.
All three DC100 Concepts are based on a 2,540mm (100in, hence the name) wheelbase, but Land Rover has stated that it wants to retain the many current light commercial, utility users. This means there will have to be a wider selection of wheelbases, as with the current line-up. Naturally at this stage there are no specific drivetrain details, but permanent four-wheel drive is a given. There’s talk of petrol and diesel engines with hybrid and plug-in capabilities, an eight-speed transmission and an intelligent Stop/Start system.
We’ll bring more details as they are released, but one thing is for sure. Land Rover and its owners Tata are not about to let the Defender name fade away.
