WHAT WOULD A NEW GENERATION OF LAND ROVER DEFENDER LOOK LIKE IF IT EMBODIED THE ESSENCE OF THE BRAND’S HERITAGE WHILE MEETING THE NEEDS OF TODAY’S CONSUMERS...

Before the next generation of Defender was unveiled by Land Rover, my Final Year Project focussed on what makes this vehicle so special to owners all over the world and what, if they had the choice, would a Defender purely designed for those lovers and owners look like?

This project wasnt to pre-empt the next generation of Defender, but to see what it could be if designed through the owners of the original.

The vision of this design was to have a fully adaptable vehicle that could cater to every kind of user.

Clay Model Development

Once the package drawings had been finalised and the styling had been developed further with support from key user groups, a scale clay model was created to validate the shape in 3D.

Once complete, 3D printed parts were added to demonstrate the whole design intent.

FINAL STYLING

The final form is a merge of the original, classic shape and the innovations that come with modern vehicles. Many areas of the design were made modular, to further support the idea for a truly personal vehicle. With the support of many Land Rover owners, it also features the classic Defender trait of seamlessly combining form and function.

A TRULY FUNCTIONAL INTERIOR

The innovations on the interior follow the same combination of form and function. Behind the front seats, four rails aid the use of a modular system, onto which different accessories can be fitted.

The driver environment was also designed with the exploring in mind - the instrument cluster has been extended to show more key information whilst the surrounding console have been minimalised to reduce distractions.

ENTRY LEVEL DASHBOARD

MODULAR ACCESSORIES

With a multitude of different accessories, each owner can arrange their car into a variety of different configurations. This follows the learnings around the many different types of people who use a Defender, and how often their needs might change throughout the vehicle’s life - functionality at the core of this design.

INTERCHANGEABLE REAR SECTIONS

The rear sections covering the ‘tub’ of the vehicle can be swapped out by the owner depending on their specific need.

PACKAGE DEVELOPMENT

After the overall shape had been decided on, package drawings were created to ensure the design improved on the original vehicle, as well as other competitors, in areas such as approach / depature angles and of course, interior. Here the initial ideas for a modular space could be tested, looking at how a rail system behind the front seat could function, along with accompanying accessories.