It has been suggested Coventry car maker Land Rover might make its all-new Defender model in Slovakia rather than its spiritual home of Solihull.
Speculation comes in the wake of a recent announcement that Land Rover will be shifting production of its latest Discovery model from Lode Lane to Nitra , its new factory in Slovakia.
Even that caught some people by surprise.
Though it was always anticipated that the Discovery would be built in Nitra, there was an expectation the model would be built in two plants - home and abroad.
Is it a surprise?
Should the move come as a surprise? In truth probably not.
The Nitra facility is huge and has an initial capacity to produce around 150,000 vehicles a year, with the potential to double that to 300,000 in the long-term.
But why make the Defender there too?
Although Land Rover has not yet said so, it is highly likely the Discovery and forthcoming Defender share the same platform.
If so then making both models in the same place makes perfect sense.
The Solihull factory currently makes both the Jaguar F-Pace and Range Rover Velar and they are based on the same platform.
Put simply it is a far more efficient way to go about manufacturing.
New Defender will be more sophisticated
In addition the new Defender is likely to be far more sophisticated than the old one, whose design changed little over almost 70 years.
The model was produced on a decidedly old-fashioned production line, a throwback to the way car making used to be done.
To purists the idea of making a Defender anywhere other than Solihull might be nothing short of sacrilege but it wouldn’t be the first time.
But does it really matter where it’s made?
Car makers operate globally these days, be it BMW, Mercedes-Benz or Jaguar Land Rover and it should be stressed Land Rovers have been made under licence in a variety of countries over the decades, including Germany, Belgium, Spain and Turkey
The Defender, which was originally just the Land Rover and thereafter the Series I, II and III, might be synonymous with Solihull.
A remarkable history
Unveiled in 1948 as a rough, tough vehicle to help kick-start British car making at the Rover Company after the Second World War, it was also intended to help the farming community.
No one at the time would have imagined it would become the global sensation it did.
Its capacity to reach places other vehicles couldn’t meant that for many people in remote corners of the world it was the first vehicle they ever saw.
There are a great many die-hard Defender/Land Rover enthusiasts all over the world who wouldn’t dream of ever owning anything else.
An automotive icon
The word icon is frequently over-used but the Defender is most definitely an automotive one.
It continued in production at Lode Lane for 68 years, manufacturing finally coming to an end in January 2016.
It proved a poignant moment for the company when it came to say goodbye .
Of course there’s also question of whether the new Defender will satisfy the purists.
In truth it probably won’t.
It will have an element of ruggedness but it is unlikely to be the utilitarian workhorse its predecessor was.
What might happen at Lode Lane?
So, what will happen in Solihull?
Land Rover says it wants to use spare capacity at the Lode Lane site to produce electric vehicles.
The car maker has pledged to have electrified versions of all its vehicles by 2020 and clearly sees that as the way forward.
The Jaguar I-Pace, the company’s first all-electric vehicle, is currently built under contract by Magna Steyr in Austria.
Freeing-up capacity in Solihull could see that and other electric vehicles built in Solihull.
Coventry car production
The firm has also hinted at the possibility of car production in Coventry. It has certainly made no secret of the fact it wants to put the city at the heart of its electric vehicle production plans - though that could involve producing batteries and eletric motrs rather than vehicles.
Only time will tell.
However, one thing is for sure, we shouldn’t have long to wait until the unveiling of the new Defender.
With this being L and Rover’s 70th anniversary year it surely has to lift the lid on such an important model before the year is out.
Land Rover Discovery
The smart money is on it being revealed for the first time at the Paris Motor Show in early October.
Wherever it is going to be built, I expect that unveiling, whether it’s in Paris or elsewhere, will cause quite a stir.
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