new truck or van

[Tree monkey 1682]

11 hours ago, monkeybusiness said:

I did the factory tour of the old Defender line too - the other issue was how labour intensive it was to build compared to the modern range. 

It was a bespoke vehicle , thats the thing and what should of happe doe  is a utility landrover and a town spec one ,

[Tree monkey 1682]

11 hours ago, NJA said:

When I looked round the Solihull factory, they admitted, their words not mine 'why make a £40k car for farmers when you can make a £100k car for city boys'

The thing is landrover was unique and could be specd to order, that was the amazing thing about it ,the is no other brand u can do that with , thats what landrover missed out on, now u have a heap of shit that resembles a freelander that isn't worth wank,

Years ago I had a lr built to order , cost 30k in 2001, along came a townie and offered 80k ... I should have sold it to him but didn't. 

[AHPP]

Shame (in a sense) you can’t buy Defender kits. Save some labour cost on them. 
 

Unless it actually makes it more expensive by being a picking and packing nightmare. I can’t see Amazon leaping to partner with them. 

Edited 11 hours ago by AHPP

[Stere]

Mahindra thar look like a modern basic defender start at £9000 new trouble is they are in India...

 

 

 

 

Edited 6 hours ago by Stere

[Stere]

Mahindra Veero LCV: Prices & Features | Pickup Truck in India

AUTO.MAHINDRA.COM

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Discover Mahindra VEERO Pick-Up Truck with India's First Multi-Energy LCV Platform. Price starts from ₹7.99 Lakh with 18.4 km/l mileage, best safety & performance.

 

 

 

 

Shame imports seem a no go

[Treewolf]

20 hours ago, monkeybusiness said:

I did the factory tour of the old Defender line too - the other issue was how labour intensive it was to build compared to the modern range. 

 

That point is key - the old Defender apparently cost about the same to manufacture as a full-fat Range Rover, however the max price the market would support was £30k for the Defender but £100k for the RR. The margin therefore was huge on one compared to the other, and was the reason for the other factor below.

 

8 hours ago, Tree monkey 1682 said:

It was a bespoke vehicle , thats the thing and what should of happe doe  is a utility landrover and a town spec one ,

 

This overlooks the fact that JLR no longer no longer wanted to be in the utility vehicle market at all, it is complex, expensive, and the margins are small. From a shareholder perspective it is much better to bang out luxury boxes for posh folk to take their kids to school and that sell for £100k netting you a £70k profit per vehicle.

 

The realignment of the product line up with the old Freelander being replaced by the Discovery, and the old Discovery being replaced by the new Defender completed the transformation of JLR into "just another SUV manufacturer". To me the rot was complete and I lost all interest in the brand. Until they cocked everything up with shocking customer care, inadequate parts supply, and poor managing of a cyber attack the company became far more profitable.

 

Jim Radcliffe and Ineos has more-or-less proved that it is not possible to build a classic Defender in the way that we want (i.e., modern, better, but still very simple and only costing £30k) with the Grenadier. It is a great vehicle and is the spiritual successor to the old Defender, but it is not possible to mass-produce a simple car nor a cheap car that complies with world legislation now. We are trapped in an era of ECUs and software and complexity and consequent high cost.

Edited 4 hours ago by Treewolf

[Joe Newton]

21 hours ago, AHPP said:

My Vitara was fine at seventy or eighty. They are bigger than a Jimny though. God bless small cars all round though. My 998cc Peugeot 107 hit the limiter at 92 in third. I'm looking at a 550cc or 660cc kei truck for my next vehicle. For the sex appeal over practicality you understand.

I love the look of the 4x4 pickups

[Stere]

Quote

it is not possible to mass-produce a simple car nor a cheap car that complies with world legislation now.

 

The Indian ones has  the modern safety stuff now for there domestic market, called BNCAP but  there standards not recognized atm for export.  So I guess at technically it might be possible to also pass GNCAP but EU makers wouldn't like/allow the competition ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AHPP]

1 hour ago, Joe Newton said:

I love the look of the 4x4 pickups

Not the sex I endeavour to appeal to but good to know. 

[Joe Newton]

43 minutes ago, AHPP said:

Not the sex I endeavour to appeal to but good to know. 

You don't know what you're missing out on!