The wait is nearly over. Land Rover confirmed on Thursday that its hotly anticipated Defender SUV will make its world debut on Sept. 10 at the Frankfurt motor show, and it will begin taking orders at that time.
The reveal, which will take place at 3:50 am eastern time, will be livestreamed on Land Rover's Facebook fan page and Youtube channel. Land Rover hasn't said how customers will be able to order their off-roaders when the order books open.
Prior to the launch, Land Rover also gave fans a sneak preview of the Defender in action by releasing a video of it driving through Kazakhstan's Valley of the Castles. Click on that video above.
2021 Land Rover Defender
Although Frankfurt will play host to the Defender’s first official appearance, images of Land Rover’s iconic off-roader have leaked in recent weeks. Most recently we saw a totally undisguised Defender on the set of the next James Bond movie. Those leaks have only ratcheted up the excitement for the Defender’s official debut.
When the new Defender takes to the stage in Frankfurt, expect to see a number of different configurations of the off-road SUV. Land Rover will offer the Defender in two- and four-door body styles, and there will also be pickup and long-wheelbase models. It remains to be seen how many of those body styles will make it to the United States, with the four-door model seen as the only sure thing.
Previous reports have suggested that the Defender will be offered with six different powertrains, including a turbocharged inine-6 and a 4-cylinder paired with a hybrid drive system. A pure-electric model has also been rumored.
Pricing is far from confirmed, but the Defender is expected to slot somewhere between the $53,085 Discovery and $67,745 Range Rover Sport. That would also place the Defender squarely between its closest competitors, the $51,000 Jeep Wrangler Moab and the $124,000 Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
The new Land Rover Defender, which will likely be tagged as a 2021 model, should arrive in dealer showrooms shortly after its Frankfurt motor show debut.