New Land Rover Defender sighted in Kenya

A PROTOTYPE of the upcoming Land Rover Defender fitted with a raised air intake and wearing a camouflage specially devised for the surroundings has completed a testing program in Kenya. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said the development brings the model “a step closer to production.”

The testing program, described by the carmaker as “demanding,” was held with Tusk Trust to support the group’s lion conservation initiatives in Africa. It gave Tusk Trust operatives a chance to put the new Defender through a series of real-world tests as wildlife managers forded rivers, pulled heavily loaded trailers and negotiated challenging terrain. The prototype model was even used to help replace the inoperative tracking collar fitted to a male lion, which was sedated at close range from the security of the Defender, according to JLR.

It noted the upcoming Defender supported operations at the 14,000-hectare Borana Conservancy as it was used by teams tracking radio collared lions and transporting supplies.

The Borana Conservancy is home to flat plains, deeply rutted tracks, steep rocky inclines, muddy riverbanks and thick forests, which JLR said gave the upcoming Defender a “chance to showcase its unrivalled breadth of capability.”

“We are now in the advanced stages of the new Defender’s testing and development phase. Working with our partners at Tusk Trust in Kenya enabled us to gather valuable performance data. The Borana reserve features a wide range of challenging environments, making it a perfect place to test to the extreme the all-terrain attributes of the new Defender,” said Nick Collins, engineering vehicle line director at JLR.

JLR said it has been an official partner of Tusk Trust for 15 years.

The carmaker added the new Defender will make its world premiere later this year.