I spoke to one of the guys on the stand in Geneva Graham, watching over the Defender replacement, and the Evoque convertible. He was a Pattern Maker by trade, but CAD/CAM made his skills somewhat redundant and he became a self-employed model maker for many years, before joining LR. He said that many, if not most of the non-standard DC100 parts had been built by him and another colleague and he was very interesting to chat to.
He said that no decision had been taken on the DC100 regarding production, but that the overall response had been very favourable. Apparently the official line is that if they go ahead it will be ready for sale in 2016, but he felt that they could be ready in late 2014. He said that things moved much quicker and decisions were taken promptly now that they were not part of the Ford monolith!
He confirmed that planning was in place to move Defender production to India, but that they would only be sold in those markets that could accept them, and that this did not include the UK because of safety legislation. (sorry Tim).
His enthusiasm for the vehicle shone through and it was nice to talk to a 'back-room boy' at Geneva, where most stands are manned by PR/Salesman types.
(apart from Morgan!)
P.S. He said he had had only one guy who had really rubbished the concept, but that overall the reception had been very positive for both the DC100 and especially for the Evoque convertible, but that's another story!
