If the internet is good for anything, its for giving us sneak peeks at new cars long before they go on sale. The latest leak thats causing consternation at a PR office? The new and hotly-anticipated 2020 Land Rover Defender.Spied on the set of a new James Bond flick is what appears to be a completely undisguised copy of the upcoming British 44.It has a lantern jaw harkening back to Defenders of old, along with what is certainly chequerplate on the flanks of its hood. This latter detail is a great throwback to the Defender 90 and 110. View this post on Instagram I’m not going to get in trouble for this — because it’s all over #facebook at the moment! Here is what looks like the first uncovered #defender2020 — straight (apparently) from the film set of the new #bond movie! Makes sense! A few things come to mind. Firstly, the winch is excellent. Secondly, the alpine windows are still there! Thirdly, the rear passenger door looks massive — you’ll never open that in a Tesco car park! Fourthly, there seems to be quite a bit of wheel clearance (though it’s unknown if this is standard height, off road height, or on coils!). Fifthly, checker on the bonnet (yes, the bonnet is a funny shape and there is no real wing to speak of). Sixthly, I’m not sure about the mirrors at all. Seventhly. well, this could clearly go on a bit! #landroverdefender #allnewdefender #landroverdefender #landrover #thebest4x4xfar #landrovertheworldover #landroverworld #bignews #didntmakefrankfurt #someonesheadwillrollforthis #spyshot #spyfilm #jamesbondfilmset #allnewdefender2020 #newdefender #newdefendernews #newlandroverdefender #defender #landroverdefender #landroverdefender110 #defender110 #defender130 #defender90 #allnewdefender90 #allnewdefender110 #newdefender2020 #newdefender90 A post shared by Steven Firth (@shedlocktwothousand) on Aug 26, 2019 at 3:14pm PDTIts front fascia is understandably not as squared-off as the old Defender, thanks largely to pedestrian safety standards and the fact that automakers no longer design their cars to look like barn doors.Round headlights set into rectangular buckets are a nice touch but, at least from this angle, appear to have the top quarter of those lamps tucked out of sight. This gives it a sleepy appearance, as if it just consumed a dime bag. Perhaps other angles will be better. The windshield is fairly upright, as one would expect, and various rugged off-road design cues pepper the exterior. There is a huge wheelwell gap, suggesting this version might be equipped with an air suspension jacked to its highest setting. Or, it may simply have metal coils modified for movie use. Appropriately knobby tires are present and accounted for.With the world clamoring for SUVs of all types, its a sensible time for Land Rover to reintroduce this well-loved nameplate. Defender fans are, um, ardent (to put it mildly) so the design will surely be criticized no matter what the final production versions looks like. Three- and five-door variants are expected when it goes on sale for the 2020 model
Origin: Un-camouflaged new Land Rover Defender maybe spied shooting next ‘James Bond’
maybe
New Land Rover Defender to come in three body styles — and maybe a diesel
Any change to the Land Rover Defender generally sends purists into a frothing rage or, at the very least, has them tut-tutting into their afternoon tea.The forthcoming Defender, expected to launch some time within the next calendar year, is set to bring some of the biggest changes the nameplate has ever seen, starting with a new 130 model.According to a report from Automotive News, the next Defender will be offered in three models: the traditional 90 and 110 variants, plus a new 130 model.The 90 will allegedly be a three-door model with seating for up to five, while the five-door 110 will enjoy a longer wheelbase and accept five, six or seven passengers depending on spec.The big surprise is the revelation of a 130 model. This rig will apparently offer seating for eight adventure-seeking people, putting it up against other big SUVs like the Lexus LX and Lincoln Navigator. Those same rumours peg this XL-sized Defender at just over 200 inches in length, about the same as the big Lexus.A source also told the European publication that customers should expect four trims at launch: Country, Adventure, Urban and Explorer. Given this myriad of body lengths and trim options, plus the inevitable accessory catalog, Land Rover is playing a smart game of broadening the new Defenders appeal and maximizing their profits.Fun fact: JLRs total sales in America outstripped that of Europe and the U.K. by about 10,000 and 20,000 units, respectively, in the last financial year. Offering the Defender in jumbo size, then, makes a lot of sense. Another big rumour? A least one of the diesel engines on offer will make it to this side of the pond. If it shows up, itll be a tasty 300-hp straight-six scooting to 100 km/h from zero in about 7.5 seconds.The next-gen Defender will be unveiled in September at the Frankfurt auto show. The three-door 90 and five-door 110 models are expected to go on sale next year, followed by the gonzo-sized 130 about twelve months
Origin: New Land Rover Defender to come in three body styles — and maybe a diesel
News Roundup: Schwarzenegger masquerades as a used-car salesman, Chevy (maybe) cancels the Camaro, and Genesis takes on the EV market
Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.Here’s what you missed while you were away.Watch Schwarzenegger annoy customers as a used-car salesmanIn film, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s characters usually use bicep strength or Gatling guns to impose their will. But in a new YouTube video, the former Governator relies upon his skills of annoyance to push customers at a used car lot toward electric vehicles. The bit, which appeared on the Austrian-American star’s YouTube page, was a plug for ElectricForAll.org, featuring Arnold as used car salesman overly keen for the gas-guzzling ways of old. Karma, baby! Vancouver driver gets new McLaren impounded minutes after driving it off the lotAh, don’t you just love stories like this, where the idiot driver gets his comeuppance almost immediately? A Vancouver driver recently took possession of a brand-new quarter-million-dollar McLaren 600LT and decided to test its limits on the drive home, accelerating to 161 km/h in a 90-km/h zone before being stopped by police. The $368 ticket probably won’t be such a problem for the obviously wealthy driver, but at least the reckless dummy won’t have his new ride for a week. J.D. Power ranks the best and worst car brands of the yearMarketing information services company J.D. Power has released its Initial Quality Study for 2019, which ranks car brands based on the number of issues experienced by new owners. At the bottom of the pile were British brands Jaguar and Land Rover, which managed to improve their scores from last year but not enough to inch past Mitsubishi, which was ranked third-worse. The top of the list, on the other hand, was dominated by South Korean marques, with Genesis, Kia and Hyundai taking the top three spots, respectively. The highest-ranking North American brand was Ford, which clinched fourth position despite slipping by a couple points from last year. Chevrolet might halt Camaro production after sixth gen Will the sixth-generation Camaro be the last? Rumours of the impending cancellation of the Chevrolet Camaro that started with “multiple sources within GM” speaking to Muscle Cars Trucks suggest so, though later we heard from other sources that the next gen was just “delayed until further notice.” The news has some Camaro fans experiencing deja-vu as the popular muscle car was discontinued once already, back in 2002, only to be resurrected in 2009. GM has neither confirmed nor denied the rumours, telling Motor Authority, “While we will not engage in speculation, we will remind you of our recently announced updates coming to the Camaro lineup this fall.” So we wait…Opinion: The “carpocalypse” is pure BS! Motor Mouth David Booth touched a nerve this week by asking a simple question: “When did we get so f-ing stupid?” OK, so it’s not so difficult to see why some might be offended. In this week’s editorial, our unabashed columnist takes on the idea of the “carpocalypse,” which predicts the forthcoming demise of the auto industry. Despite increased messaging from car sharing companies like Lyft and Car2Go claiming drivership is down – as well plenty of anecdotal evidence suggesting Millennials aren’t buying the same way their parents did – Booth insists it’s all a bunch of hogwash. Do you agree? Join the conversation by commenting on his latest Motor Mouth column. Will another 400 Series Highway improve Toronto traffic conditions? The powers that be in the GTA are studying the idea of connecting Highway 400 in Vaughan to Highway 407 in Milton with another major route in order to reduce congestion. Demand to improve commute times, which rose 8 per cent since 2013, is strong, but as Driving’s Steven Bochenek points out, adding more roads doesn’t necessarily lead to less traffic. In fact, according to a well-researched concept called “induced demand,” more roads often simply lead to more drivers. Well, there’s always the GO Train, I guess. Genesis sets sights on the electric market with announcement of upcoming EVNew kid on the block Genesis has been making waves for a few years now, with its internationally acclaimed vehicles displacing demand for the luxury marquees that have dominated the industry for what seems like forever. BMW and Mercedes-Benz have felt the Genesis pinch, and soon, according to reports from Australia’s Drive, so will Tesla. The publication says the South Korean automaker will release its first fully electric offerings in 2021, in the form of a sedan and an SUV. Genesis claims to be “moving very fast on this,” so expect to hear more (official) news on this
Origin: News Roundup: Schwarzenegger masquerades as a used-car salesman, Chevy (maybe) cancels the Camaro, and Genesis takes on the EV market
Genesis is definitely maybe putting the Essentia into production
Genesis Essentia conceptDerek McNaughton The market is speculating hard on the likelihood of a Genesis Essentia EV coupe after a source within the company said that they’re “very, very serious” about pursuing it — or something like it — for production. The lastest ‘will they won’t they’ debate surrounding the Essentia was sparked by Motoring magazine, which got Genesis’ brand head Manfred Fitzgerald on the record, saying the automaker is “still pursuing the one (concept) that you saw last year in a very, very serious manner and hopefully we’ll make an announcement in due time. Fitzgerald didn’t directly name the Essentia, but he did rule out the Mint concept that debuted recently in New York — though he also reserves production hopes for that concept. “We’re serious about everything we do, Fitzgerald told the magazine. I will fight to the very end to have this car into production and have it as you’re seeing it right now on the road I think this is an invention of a new typology of vehicle, and I think that’s something that will resonate with people out there.” There’s also the fact that the upcoming battery-driven vehicle will be based on the brand’s EV platform, which bodes well for the Essentia. This recent back and forth comes after publications — Driving included — jumped the gun last year, claiming the production Essentia coupe had been confirmed. It hadn’t been and still hasn’t been, but things are slowly looking more optimistic. If, and hopefully when, the EV coupe arrives, it’ll likely top the Genesis range in terms of price, but still be affordable enough to slide under the battery-powered competition from Mercedes, BMW, and perhaps even Tesla. This is one rumour we’re happy to
Origin: Genesis is definitely maybe putting the Essentia into production