Did Somebody Really Leak The New Defender's Dashboard?

Details on the next-generation Land Rover Defender remain scarce, with the anticipated 4x4’s launch due later this year. However, a tiny insight was apparently revealed last week following an ill-advised gloating match on Twitter – with a glimpse of the upcoming Land Rover’s supposed dashboard.

In a game of one-upmanship, one Twitter user summoned the wrath of Richard Agnew – the Communication & PR Director for Jaguar Land Rover – after claiming "How about I post photos I shouldn’t have," to spur another user into revealing further details of a mystery car.

After the picture was posted, Agnew then responded with, "How about you now remove this image that you’ve publicly stated you shouldn’t post. Legal team are on the way."

Various users took Agnew’s comments as firm proof that the picture was genuine and not a design render, as enthusiasts had originally speculated.

However, after some sensible bods at Jalopnik cut through the onslaught of Tweeting mayhem and reached out to JLR, they were informed that the image in question as an ‘older out-of-date internal photo’ and ‘no part of a PR operation’.

The age of the leaked photo remains unknown, but what we can deduct from the image is that groups of individuals have already viewed the prototype or final 2020 production-ready Defender – perhaps as part of a focus group.

This is a common practise within the automotive industry, as is the act of breaking a non-disclosure agreement. However, even if the picture should prove to show only the prototype vehicle’s fascia, we can spot various parts used in the 70th Anniversary Defender and the DC100 concept car of 2011.

First is the gear selector, which was utilized by the Jaguar V8-powered Defender, whereas the layout channels ergonomics originally seen with the DC100 – unveiled during the Frankfurt Motorshow some eight years ago.

The digital mock-up display appears to have been lifted and modified from the current generation Range Rover. The proclaiming of ‘Defender’ across the steering wheel and dashboard follows Land Rover’s current branding trend.

We doubt that the set-up showcased in the leaked picture will be the final product, as the materials and design look rough and unfinished, but it may hint at what we should expect.

The worry aspect for us Land Rover enthusiasts remains this: none of the material looks hose clean…

Source: Jalopnik