Exactly. The Defender isn’t in the same class as the G-Wagen. Money or perception wise. 

Watch out G-Wagen? Not really. The new Defender is meant to take a bite out of Toyota’s worldwide dominance in the luxury (200 and soon 300 series) and utilitarian/humanitarian (70-series) market.  

The Oz spec 70 series has had ANCAP 5 since 2016.

Umm.. no, the 70-series isn’t “on its way out in all but the most remote and basic of countries on account of emissions regulations and safety”.

They sell WAYY more than 3,000 units a year across the nameplate (200, 150, and the 5 x different 70 models) worldwide. There will be a replacement for the 200 series, it’s only that the USA might not get it.

All of this:

It’s fascinating how almost all of the discussion on this is US-centric. As if Nissan isn’t a global company with a ton of other models not sold in the USA.

Plenty of companies sell armored Hilux’s. My main point was in regards to overall durability.. it’s not going to be long term, hence this purpose built product from Navistar.

I’ve sold and driven Hilux’s that were armored to B6 level for CIT use. They aren’t a great platform for up-armoring. 

SsangYong is now 75% owned by Mahindra. 

The Hilux chassis and suspension isn’t up to carrying the weight of proper armoring. It can be done with some modifications, but component longevity is an issue. Much better to start with a purpose built frame and suspension. 

No they didn’t. The Toyota Iraq franchise is fully operational. Most of the new Hilux’s showing up in ISIS held territory were procured from the UAE/Dubai grey market dealers, who purchase in bulk from the Toyota Oman/UAE/Saudi franchise holders. They mostly sell to clients located in Africa/Middle East countries that…

You’re only focused on Nissan USA products.

Umm.. nope.

Definitely! Check out the Rhino Charge that’s held every year. I was on one of the teams that competed in this a month ago. I’d like to see some rock crawling types from the USA try this and see how they get on.. without every having seen the route before!

Unrelated on the price point, but once the 4WD Nissan Civilian and Mitsubishi Rosa 29-seater buses are old enough to import to the USA, THOSE will be a hot ticket for overland conversions.

They usually source brand new vehicle from grey market dealers in the UAE.

Jorsher is correct. The network of grey market car dealers selling brand new Toyota’s and other brands out of UAE duty-free zones is huge. They mostly sell to countries without Toyota representation in Africa and the Middle East. They mostly buy from the official Toyota distributors in Oman, UAE, and Saudi Arabia, who…

I can’t believe you guys missed the story about LR testing the Defender in Kenya soon!

Actually, most of the ISIS Toyota’s in Syria, Iraq, and Libya were brand new and no, Toyota likely didn’t know who they were going to nor did they notice a spike in demand.