Land Rover has been around the world testing the new Defender.
Today is a major day in Land Rover history. This is the day the first Series I revealed itself to the world at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show. Now, 71 years later, its most modern descendent has nearly arrived. The 2020 Land Rover Defender will debut in September, but the company has some testing left to do.
The fleet of 2020 Land Rover Defenders has covered nearly 750,000 miles testing all over the globe. From the deserts of Moab to the Colorado Rockies and from Europe to the Middle East, the final phase of testing will finish up in Africa.
As part of 45,000 individual tests conducted in the world’s most inhospitable climates, the 2020 Land Rover Defender will take to the Borana Conservancy in Kenya. Land Rover announced the distance milestone as “World Land Rover Day”. Ultimately, the new Defender will be tested in partnership with Tusk Trust on the 35,000-acre conservancy.
Covering 750,000 miles goes to show the testing is nearly complete, as we’re expecting the production version to emerge in September. Land Rover has not formally announced its arrival at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but that’s the most likely scenario. The 2020 Land Rover Defender will premiere in two-door short wheelbase and four-door long wheelbase versions. Powertrains are still a mystery, but Land Rover promises an “unparalleled breadth of capability and new levels of comfort and drivability” from the Defender.
Land Rover will produce the 2020 Defender at its new manufacturing plant in Nitra, Slovakia.
