South Africa’s new premium car market was down 45% for the first six months of the year compared with 2019, says Jaguar Land Rover South Africa (JLR SA) MD Richard Gouverneur.

“We are expecting a gradual recovery for the rest of the year. We expect that the premium market will be down 35% for the year, notwithstanding any further [complete] lockdowns.

“We have already begun to see a strong recovery in our parts, accessories and aftersales business, and in demand for preowned vehicles.”

The new Land Rover Defender is coming to the local market at the “perfect time,” for JLR SA to improve its market share, he adds. 

“We saw record footfall through our dealerships in June because of the launch of the new Defender.”

Gouverneur says a Deloitte survey shows that the automotive supply chain only expects the market to return to normal by late 2021 and into 2022.

“We believe 2022 to be more realistic in South Africa, as the impact of the downgrade, vehicle inflation, consumer indebtedness and loss of income and jobs will take hold.”

He says global forecasts are for the market to only return to pre-Covid levels in 2024. 

Gouverneur notes that the weak market has had an impact on JLR SA and its dealer network, with revenue under pressure. 

“The short-term priority is all around liquidity and cost containment. Our retailers have begun to assess and downsize their cost base to ensure financial sustainability during this time.

“I must urge that another lockdown will have a devastating effect on retailers. We need to work really hard to avoid this from happening.”

New Defender
The modernised Defender is now available in South Africa.

Available in 110 guise, which gives a historic nod to the 110-inch wheelbase of the previous generation, the vehicle offers customers a choice of five, six or five-plus-two seating configurations and a load space ranging from 1 075 l behind the second row, to 2 380 l with seats folded.

A short-wheelbase Defender 90, with seating for up to six, is scheduled for local introduction early next year.

The 110 line-up includes a flagship 3-litre straight six-cylinder P400 powertrain featuring efficient mild hybrid electric vehicle technology with outputs of 294 kW and 550 Nm. 

Alternatively, customers can choose between two 2-litre variants, with a P300 turbocharged petrol engine offering 221 kW and 400 Nm, and a D240 twin turbocharged diesel engine producing 177 kW and 430 Nm.

Standard features in all vehicles include permanent all-wheel drive with a high- and low-range transfer box, air suspension, terrain response, LED headlights, connected navigation, 3D surround cameras, ten-inch Pivi Pro infotainment, a driver condition monitor, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone packs.

Configurable terrain response allows experienced off-roaders to fine-tune vehicle settings to suit the conditions, while inexperienced drivers can leave the system to detect the best settings automatically, using the intelligent auto function. 

Ground clearance is up to 291 mm with maximum suspension articulation of 500 mm. The Defender 110’s approach, breakover and departure angles are 38, 28 and 40 degrees respectively, when set in off-road height. 

Air suspension provides an off-road ride height lift of 75 mm and additional ride comfort. An additional 70 mm of lift means the air system can raise the body by a maximum of 145 mm when needed, while ‘Elegant Arrival’ automatically lowers the body by 50 mm to aid access.

A maximum wading depth of 900 mm is supported by a new wade programme in the terrain response system.

Land Rover’s ClearSight Ground View technology helps drivers on off-road sections by showing the area usually hidden by the bonnet and directly ahead of the front wheels, on the Pivi Pro touchscreen.

Pricing for the 110 starts at R1.05-million.