Upcoming Land Rover Defender spotted in Kenya doing conservation work

KUALA LUMPUR: The upcoming Land Rover Defender is one of the most important products in the band’s lineup. Primarily because it represents the automaker’s core goal of making tough, go-anywhere 4X4 vehicles. The new Defender in the recent past has made several appearances and that too interesting one, all showing its capability and do-anything attitude. Adding to its spree of challenges is the latest Kenya assignment that calls for lion conservation duties.

Land Rover partnered with Tusk Trust for this project, under which the Defender was sent to the Borana Conservatory. The car was used by wildlife managers to pull heavily loaded trailers, ford rivers, and negotiate challenging terrain. The highlight of the event was Defender helping in the sedation of a male lion, whose tracking collar needed replacement.

The pictures of the project bring us closer to the upcoming car, by slowly revealing more info. At the front, we can spot a slim grille, large ring-shaped DRLs, LED headlights, sizeable protective skid plate, and air intakes. Also, the automaker seemed to have retained some of the original design clues like the iconic boxy silhouette, squarish wheel arches, shoulder line below the window line. Giving it a typical modern-day Land Rover look and feel are elements like the front fender vents on either side. The rear is a bit flat and is the best indicator of Defender’s off-roading skills. As it is entirely devoid of any sort of beautification, all it has is a spare wheel, tiny tail lamps, and a beefy bumper with two visible hooks.

The company is yet to reveal significant details about the car, however, what we do know is that it will be offered in 3- and 5-door configurations and two wheelbases. It is expected to be built either on Jaguar Land Rover’s Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) or a bespoke ladder-frame chassis.

The Land Rover Defender in April 2019 hit a combined 1.2 million km in test landmark, as was confirmed by the company. It would be built in the Land Rover recently inaugurated plant in Nitra, Slovakia.