Actually I think the Bronco release killed this discussion. The Bronco highlights what the Defender could have been. The ball is now in Grenadiers court.
Completely agree! The Bronco has made it so clear where LR went wrong with their styling and overall spirit of the vehicle. It's what so many of us have been saying on here and now there's another vehicle to point at and say- "see....this is the way LR should have gone"
One of the many excuses that have been on here for what LR did- "they need to build a vehicle that appeals to a wider base" OR "they can't build a speciality vehicle like the G-Wagon- they need something that will sell more because they need cash" ....Take a look at the press the Bronco has gotten in the last 2 weeks- the reception has been nothing less than ecstatic. They sold out of first editions within days. They'll sell 100,000 annually I bet- some of that coming from Jeep customers.
LR Faithful- Who do you think the Defender is stealing sales away from? ....just other LR products. The same person that bought the D5 will buy the Defender, but the person who went G-Wagon or Sahara Wrangler over the D5- isn't coming to the Defender.
There's a great story about the Jeep Rubicon and how the bean counters said there wasn't a market for a Jeep that costs that much- that enthusiasts wouldn't follow Jeep up the price scale. They estimated that it'd sell 3,500 annually at most. Thankfully, the Jeep corporation has enough enthusiasts who truly love the 4x4 that those people in corporations who lack courage were overruled. Jeep decided to be bold and sold 8,000 Rubicons in pre-order alone. Now it's one of the most iconic and possibly the most capable production 4x4's ever made.
When you look at the Defender do you honestly think there's a story like that lurking somewhere in the hallways of LR? ....or do you think those who lacked courage to do something bold won out? ....I know who won with the Jeep Rubicon....it's pretty clear who won at Ford, unfortunately it's also clear who won at LR.