LAND ROVER has started the new Defender’s first expedition before it’s even been launched. The next generation of the legendary Landie has started out on a trip to the Frankfurt Motor Show – where it will get its public debut – all the way from Kazakhstan.
Offering a first glimpse of the eagerly awaited new Land Rover, the Defender tackles the Valley of the Castles in the remote Charyn Canyon in western Kazakhstan. The starting point has been chosen as it’s one of the most land-locked locations on earth, and sees the expedition begin amongst the towering 300m canyons.
The Defender has been gradually teased to the public for months now, but this is our first view of an uncamouflaged model – no matter how brief a look.
The original Land Rover and subsequent updates tackled some of the toughest terrain on earth during its 67 years in production, from 1948 until it was halted in 2016. This new version looks to continue that expedition ethos on, and the Kazakhstan-Frankfurt trip is surely only the first of many such adventures.
Few details of the new Defender have been announced yet, but the shape is squarer than many recent launches from Land Rover, mimicking the boxy shape of the original.