Another Defender hint?

Had to swing by a dealer today to pick up a bolt for a project I have going, and got to see my first one in person.

I was not impressed. My honest first thought was that it reminded me of a slightly roided up Ford Flex.

I did like the interior, however.

Dealer was asking $92.5 for their example.

So we've gone from $50K Defenders to $90K plus in 6 months. I'm guessing the first edition markups are partly the issue but I'm getting this uneasy feeling that the post-covid effects are now being seen. Been looking at travel trailers and the 2021 models are hitting the dealers at 8% to 10% higher pricing for virtually the same camper. The cost of the economic shutdown has to be paid for somehow over fewer units. For JLR their fixed cost need to be paid plus the all the debt they have incurred.

Will be interesting to see how long the dealers run those 10k markups... I personally don’t feel like the Design warrants the premium. I’m also not sure the demand is that strong either... especially with so many folks thinking differently about big purchases at the moment...

The company said that they have received just 22,000 orders for the new Land mRover Defender, a model JLR hopes to sell in large volumes. That figure is disappointing according to analysts who spoke to Financial Times, adding that it’s only slightly higher than the number of old Defenders sold in their final year of production, back in 2016.

“https://www.carscoops.com/2020/06/j...-jobs-as-pandemic-hits-with-500-million-loss/”

JLR's best chance of selling a Defender is to someone that is coming from an LR3 or LR4. Most family-hauling SUV buyers don't need superior off-road capability. But they do need more cargo space in the way-back and they may want a more luxurious interior. The Defender may actually help sell the D5's that are sitting on dealer lots, especially if you can get a D5 for $10K or $15K less than a Defender.

I can't see many people paying more than sticker for a Defender, especially right now in an uncertain economy that is barely recovering from a pandemic. And many of us think it falls short of an LR4 replacement.

Fast-forward two years from now when most of us have over 200K miles on our LR4. If a 130 with a V8 is available, that is likely the LR4 replacement we would be willing to pay a premium price for.

CaliDisco said:

The company said that they have received just 22,000 orders for the new Land mRover Defender, a model JLR hopes to sell in large volumes. That figure is disappointing according to analysts who spoke to Financial Times, adding that it’s only slightly higher than the number of old Defenders sold in their final year of production, back in 2016.

“https://www.carscoops.com/2020/06/j...-jobs-as-pandemic-hits-with-500-million-loss/”

Click to expand...

Better tack on another $10K then, since they won't make it up in volume!

Given that the V8 FFRR is 10 grand more the $95,000 MHEV model, just imagine how much a V8 110 Defender or a V8 130 for that matter, would cost.

namenda said:

Given that the V8 FFRR is 10 grand more the $95,000 MHEV model, just imagine how much a V8 110 Defender or a V8 130 for that matter, would cost.

Click to expand...

My Defender HSE build is $76K, so my guess for a 130 V8 is $96K. The difference between a RRS HST with a V6 MHEV and a RRS with the SCV8 is $5K. Add $15K for the 110 to 130 jump.

PaulLR3 said:

My Defender HSE build is $76K, so my guess for a 130 V8 is $96K. The difference between a RRS HST with a V6 MHEV and a RRS with the SCV8 is $5K. Add $15K for the 110 to 130 jump.

Click to expand...

750 bucks for every extra inch :-0

CaliDisco said:

The company said that they have received just 22,000 orders for the new Land mRover Defender, a model JLR hopes to sell in large volumes. That figure is disappointing according to analysts who spoke to Financial Times, adding that it’s only slightly higher than the number of old Defenders sold in their final year of production, back in 2016.

“https://www.carscoops.com/2020/06/j...-jobs-as-pandemic-hits-with-500-million-loss/”

Click to expand...

The folks at JLR our out of their minds. They have way, way, way overplayed their nostalgia hand with the Defender. They have underwhelmed and over priced. Very few LR4 lux owners would move to one of these. It's just a different experience. We took wifes LR4 Lux on our first long road trip since bringing it home from Cali 5 years ago. We've always used my vehicles to do long trips. Wow, forgot how nice of a road tripping car this is. 80 mph like you're doing 50. Kids all had room. That mother scratching DVD player though. If I ever find the person responsible for that...

So, we have three years (actually 35 months) left on our extended service plan then we are in "dude you're screwed" mode and will likely starts stashing a monthly car payment away in a maintenance and repair fund as my wife has yet to find a rig she'd replace it with. I am pretty sure we won't pony up $100k for a 130 no matter what it looks like or how well it functions.