I do not want to talk about SUV cars, and I know they are the actual posh vehicle with big sales volumes on the world car market, with continuous increase demand. I want to talk about the real off-road 4x4 cars that were alive before the born of the first SUV car, they are a work vehicle and they will have their place on the world car market, but not with big sales volumes and only with a small slice of the cake cars sales.
Years 2017 and 2018 were the moment for the relaunch of real 4x4 cars like Jeep Wrangler, Mercedes G-class and Suzuki Jimny. If you look to the car sales and the waiting delivery list Jeep, Mercedes and Suzuki strategy about real 4x4 cars is correct. All of these brands have SUV cars on their model range and are developing them, but they do not forgot the off-road 4x4.
Jeep is increasing the Wrangler options, have a price positioning that it is a little upper than the older Wrangler but the sales are the bests for the Wrangler and show the step they have done is a winner one. The new Wrangler external design is an evolutionary and not a revolutionary.
Mercedes G-class was always an expensive car but a real off-road 4x4 recognised by their value. The new Mercedes G-class appear only with top engines and top versions, big tag prices, but sales corresponds very well for the first year. Now with the new diesel version the sales success can only go on higher levels. The new Mercedes G-class external design is an evolutionary and not a revolutionary.
Suzuki Jimny was a real off-road 4x4 small car recognised by their functionality and small price. The new one continues on the same registry with a new design that is an evolution of the old one. The delivery waiting time is big and that shows the Suzuki strategy is a winner one.
One another off-road 4x4 car with history is the Toyota Land-Cruiser. I remember very well the one that was like a small house with wheels, and there were so much traveling around. But Toyota decided to chance the design history of that old 4x4, and have introduced first a revolution to the design and after some evolutions with new versions. Today I do not find so much on the roads but it is one that continues to sell well.
And we arrive to the Land Rover Defender, with a so well known history and with a design so well known, with small evolutions from version to new version. It is a question of strategy for Land Rover to launch the new Land Rover Defender, and in my opinion they have been loosing time with other SUV cars that it was needed to reintroduce as soon as possible the new Land Rover Defender. It seems that at this moment they wake up and have noticed the importance of the new Land Rover Defender for their business. A lot of people desire to see the new Land Rover Defender to see if the exterior design is an evolution of the old one or if it will present a design revolution. Both solutions could be winner ones but I will prefer the evolutionary done correctly. One thing that was decided before was to increase prices but don't do it too much not to have sales problems.
If we look to real off-road 4x4 cars there are space to introduce a car between the Suzuki and the Jeep, and space to a car between Jeep and Mercedes G (and I think Land Rover will position Defender on this gap).
Published by José Mealha
Published by José Mealha
