After prototypes of the next-gen Land Rover Defender were pictured recently on UK roads, Land Rover has confirmed that the new Defender would also be sold in USA and Canada. Camouflaged prototype's on-road and off-road testing will begin in North America starting from January 2019. This will be followed by an official reveal of the new Land Rover Defender later next year. The SUV is slated to go on sale in 2020 for the USA and Canadian market.
The first lot of prototypes have already reached the shores of North America and will begin testing from the next month. Land Rover is very keen on testing the limits of the next-gen Defender given the wide variety of terrain and surfaces available on the continent. The car will be subjected to extreme tests in order to label it as the most capable off-roader Land Rover has ever produced. Land Rover said that tests will be performed at temperature ranging from -40°C to 49°C, on- and off-road and at altitudes of of more than 3962 above sea level.
The new Land Rover Defender will feature all the modern tech elements as seen on latest Land Rover SUVs including a latest exterior and interior design, driver assistance and connectivity features. This according to Land Rover, makes the new Defender a revolutionary product with even broader public appeal.
“On behalf of Land Rover and our retailers, we are proud to announce the voices of American and Canadian customers has been heard: the all-new Defender will be for sale here starting in 2020. This announcement is a holiday gift to our Defender fans in North America and a hint of what’s to come in the New Year,” said Kim McCullough, Vice President of Marketing for Jaguar Land Rover North America.
Land Rover isn't willing to disclose anything else about the Defender but its safe to say that the next-gen Defender would be an amalgamation of old-school SUV ruggedness, modern tech and luxury, something that has been proved possible in the case of the new Jeep Wrangler.