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Land Rover Defender delays mount due to coronavirus-related production issues

The 90 may not reach U.S. dealers until 2021, while the 110 remains scarce

Ready to plunk down some cash on a 2020 Land Rover Defender 90? You may have a while yet to wait, as deliveries of the new off-roader remain touch-and-go thanks to constraints imposed on production by the global coronavirus crisis.

As noted by Motor1, a blurb below the Defender 90 option on Land Rover's configurator reads: "Defender 90 production and first customer deliveries have been delayed as a result COVID-19 related supply chain constraints. Please contact your local retailer to place an order for Defender 90 and timing of deliveries."

So, we did just that. According to a helpful sales associate at Land Rover Troy, the Defender 90 is no longer expected to hit dealer lots as a 2020 model. The soonest customers should expect inventory would be early next year as a 2021 model; Autoblog has reached out to Land Rover to confirm this timeline.

As we've previously reported, even the Defender 110 remains in short supply. When we published that story, the local Land Rover dealership had three 110 models in stock. Today, an inventory search returned just four of them within a 50-mile radius of metro Detroit. 

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) owner Tata Motors reported yet another quarterly loss on Friday as the coronavirus crisis has compounded sales shortfalls that were already reeling from weak demand and political uncertainty related to Brexit. Sales at JLR, which accounts for most of the company's revenue, fell over 42% during the quarter, and Tata Motors said outlook for the unit remains uncertain.

"For the rest of FY21, Jaguar Land Rover will continue to manage costs and investment spending rigorously," Tata said in its earnings announcement. 

This story includes reporting from Reuters.

 

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