Gerry McGovern

"TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts." (thebloody)
02/06/2014 at 12:02 • Filed to: Land Rover

"The replacement for the Defender will be ‘desirable’, ‘more sophisticated’ and ‘traditionalists might not like it’ – so says Land Rover’s design chief Gerry McGovern."

http://www.lro.com/news-reviews/2…

Dear Gerry,

Go fuck yourself with a cactus.

Sincerely,
Every Land Rover enthusiast...

DISCUSSION (27)

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
02/06/2014 at 12:04

I don't think traditionalists like any other current Landie. Is JLR hellbent on getting entirely rid of their enthusiasts?

Nighthawkwill7, Hoon Depot Manager > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
02/06/2014 at 12:07

Why morph the Defender into a quasi Range Rover when they already make the Range Rover?

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
02/06/2014 at 12:08

The Defender doesn't need to be a Range Rover.

If you want some carpets with your Land Rover, there is always the Discovery 4 (or whatever number they are on now)

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
02/06/2014 at 12:09

Will it pass the "spanner and screwdriver" disassembly test, and will it pass the "strip down so you can hose out the interior" test? We'll see.

Kinja'd!!!

HammerheadFistpunch > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
02/06/2014 at 12:12

Yup. If the defender isn't a basic, please-beat-me-up-cause-im-here-to-work, honest truck. Its not a defender.

Also, 100,000 units a year? are you insane? This statement alone leads me to believe that this is the ramblings of a madman. No, Seriously. Anyone exec that thinks they can simultaneously alienate loyalists AND increase sales 5x (and more than a 1/3rd more than the entire BRAND for one niche vehicle) is literally, insane. This will not go over well. Does he not see what beigekrieg hath wrought?

puddler > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
02/06/2014 at 12:17

land rovers are getting awful. gimme a mobius four when it gets developed.

http://www.mobiusmotors.com/vehicles/

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > HammerheadFistpunch
02/06/2014 at 12:20

It's also not a real Landie if it doesn't have a PTO option.

/Arbitrary purist kvetching.

HammerheadFistpunch > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
02/06/2014 at 12:23

Well, I can see them ditching the idea of it being a farm tool, but I am honestly worried that they think they can sell 100,000 units a year. That's Some Danny Bahar Talk right there...

Is McGovern even remotely aware of what year it is?

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > HammerheadFistpunch
02/06/2014 at 12:24

They moved 5k Defenders in 2013, which is about the only LR model that loyalists care about that this point. Methinks a less utilitarian, more urban-appeal model is going to move a lot more than that, considering the Evoque moved 15k units and the Freelander, shit as it is, still managed to move 12k units. It's an easy decision.

The Defender is great and all, but there are plenty of them out there. If you want a Defender you'll always be able to get ahold of one. But there's not much room in the modern marketplace for what the Defender currently is.

Additionally, abandoning a small group of loyalists beigekrieg.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > HammerheadFistpunch
02/06/2014 at 12:24

Kinja'd!!!

Nope.

HammerheadFistpunch > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
02/06/2014 at 12:27

I'm not concerned about them moving away from it being a tractor substitute as much as I am that it wont hold to the virtues that make a defender worth buying over alternatives - rugged, truly utilitarian and simple, its a cornerstone of their brand. Abandoning loyalists and shooting for the middle is Beige, Beigekrieg is thinking you are going to sell 100,000 units of one model when you are currently selling 67,000 units for the entire brand. Actually, I would simply call it madness.

HammerheadFistpunch > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
02/06/2014 at 12:28

Seriously, I hope someone talks some sense into this guy. I want Land Rover to stick around and its hard to do that with Crazy at the helm.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > HammerheadFistpunch
02/06/2014 at 12:38

If he wants to up the crash rating, that's fine (more of a solid box body). If he wants to improve the roadholding - there are ways of doing that (rate control the shocks, etc.). If he wants to sleek the lines, not going to kill anything if done mildly (Range Rover mid-90s model change). If he wants to reduce the part count to reduce production cost of the hull, that's possible (see any of VW or Steyr's 4wd of the 70s/80s) If he wants to make an aluminum unibody butter blob and sell it with a range of permanent roof options while filling the interior with chintzy sub-90s Kia grade plastic and electronic options garbage, while reducing ride height and complicating the drivetrain into some brake-regulated AWD minivan abomination - all this while trying to replace the Defender and sell completely insane numbers... no. Just no.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > HammerheadFistpunch
02/06/2014 at 13:00

Kinja'd!!!

It's the only explanation that makes sense.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
02/06/2014 at 13:01

In not going to hold my breath.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
02/06/2014 at 13:10

Also has to be leaf sprung, non of this fancy coil suspension bullshit.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
02/06/2014 at 13:12

In fairness, you *can* get a PTO for a Defender, it just doesn't have through-frame holes in every single one for it anymore.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > puddler
02/06/2014 at 13:12

I'm just going to import a 25 year old Defender and be done with them. At least then I'll have a Defender deserving of the name plate.

puddler > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
02/06/2014 at 13:14

theres a group of d90's around here. they're all bro's.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
02/06/2014 at 13:14

And they wonder why production costs are so high.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > puddler
02/06/2014 at 13:16

Bros as in bro-truck bros?

puddler > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
02/06/2014 at 13:18

if you've ever seen harold & kumar go to white castle, they're like the extreme guys with the bronco. lol. it doesn't bug me, but i like when they all show up places and smacktalk beige-mobiles in whatever parking lot they're 'crawling'.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > puddler
02/06/2014 at 13:29

Yeah so bro-truck guys. That's really surprising as I've never run into those type of guys at any of the Land Rover get togethers I attend. Mostly made up of outdoorsy types who enjoy camping, hunting, fishing ect... With a small sprinkling of survivalist nuts. Guess those guys are two busy crawling parking lots instead of dragging their trucks across rocks and through mud holes like the rest of us.

puddler > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
02/06/2014 at 13:35

they're all kids. oldest one is probably 25. there's plenty of places to get off-road around here, and i wouldn't be surprised to see 'em out there. their stuff isn't clean & shiny, but i don't have a 4x4 to hoon with 'em.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > puddler
02/06/2014 at 13:36

Are you in the US? If so what coast?

puddler > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
02/06/2014 at 13:38

these dudes are near san antonio, in TX. so about 300 miles from the gulf coast.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > puddler
02/06/2014 at 13:41

Wow that is weird, been to a couple of meets down south and never ran into a Defender owner younger than 30. Guess they're out playing with toys mommy and daddy bought them.