Land Rover takes aim at X-Class

Could Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) be about to launch the perfect storm against Mercedes-X-Class and Volkswagen Amarok?

Aussies love Land Rovers and they love utes and pick-ups. And the latest news from JLR is that it’s planning to combine those Aussie love affairs confirmed it will launch a ute version of the next generation Land Rover Defender.

Expected to debut later this year as part of the marque’s 70th anniversary celebrations, the new generation Land Rover Defender is expected to arrive in a number of configurations including long and short wheelbase models. And reports now circulating in the UK suggest that a ute/pick-up body in both single and dual-cab versions is confirmed to be one of the favoured debuts.

Land Rover is said to be watching the success of Mercedes-Benz X-Class closely. Local Land Rover connections say they’re also keen to see how the Jeep Scrambler Wrangler-based pick-up fares to boot.

Previous generations of Land Rover Defender and ‘Series’ models have been offered in ute form, the most refined of which were the ‘130’ (pictured) offered from the mid-1990s.