There was a lot of talk in Geneva this month about a vehicle that wasn't there — the Land Rover Defender that is expected to break cover someday soon.
Richard Woolley, Land Rover's design studio director, SVO and Advanced Research, was at the show to talk about the Range Rover SV Coupe but naturally had to field questions about the Defender.
"We know the burden of responsibility in terms of replacing that vehicle," he said. " 'Icon' is a word that is bandied around a lot these days, but the original Defender is one that qualifies."
The key question, of course, is how much will the new one look like the old one?
"It will be, has to be, a different kind of vehicle," said Woolley, "but still true to the Defender and Defender principles."
In Detroit in January, Mercedes-Benz drew attention with its own iconic off-roader, unveiling a new G class. Visually, it did not differ much from the outgoing G class.
"I tried analyzing it to see what was new," said Woolley. "Every panel on the car is new, but it looks very similar to the previous one. I guess one thing I wish was that we were showing the Defender at the same time [as the new G class]. That would have been good. I think that the Defender will, you know, push it in the shade."
