Land Rover Defender becomes company's best-seller

The new Land Rover Defender scooped up 16,725 retail sales around the globe during the three months to September 30, up 70 per cent year on year.

As such, the reborn retro icon became the company’s top-selling model overtaking the Range Rover Evoque, despite its role not being that of a conventional high-volume chart-topper.

The Defender was also the only Jaguar, Land Rover or Range Rover product to grow its sales over the quarter – a period in which JLR’s wholesales and retails both tumbled.

This was pinned on the continued global semiconductor shortage, suggesting the Slovakia-built Defender was given priority – many OEMs are pivoting hard to higher-margin fare.

The smash sales success of Defender overseas echoes its take-up in Australia, where it has likewise become JLR’s top-selling model with 1495 YTD sales.

As reported here, the Defender range – currently comprising the 90 short-wheelbase and 110 long-wheelbase – will soon get a stretched 130 three-row version.

Meanwhile, Autocar reports the Defender name may be used for a new, luxury model based on the next-generation Range Rover underpinnings. Thus making ‘Defender’ its own sub-brand.

MORE: All our Land Rover Defender reviews