New Defender to be built in India 25 | 01 | 2012

LAND ROVER HAS confirmed it will build its all-new Defender in India. The work will take place at the manufacturing HQ of parent company Tata Motors in Pune (see more official photos of the 2015 Defender).

It's also expected the company will send some models back to Europe for final assembly in the UK as part of a ‘reverse CKD’ operation. The move to India is not new. Land Rover already builds Freelanders in India for sale in Asia.

Watch our video of Land Rover DC100 Concept driven in Scotland

The decision by Land Rover to build the Defender in India delivers twin benefits for the company. In addition to lowering the manufacturing costs of a model which Land Rover is determined to sell at affordable prices in Europe, it also locates a Defender operation close to key Asia-Pacific markets where it should sell strongly.

Land Rover plans larger Evoque

Due to go on sale in 2015, the new Defender will have a body-on-frame construction as opposed to the monocoque design it also considered. The significant advantage of this system is it will maintain the configurability of today’s models while offering much more modern packaging, comfort, controls and dynamics.

The basic styling of Land Rover’s recent DC100 concepts is understood to be very close to that planned for the new Defender, although details such as wheels, lights, grilles and interior styling will all change.

Read our roadtest of Land Rover's 2012 range

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Jim McGill