Land Rover Defender European production ends in December 2015

It's time for the curtains to close on the production of the iconic Land Rover Defender. The SUV will gradually be phased out by December, 2015 to make way for an all new model. To pay their respects, Land Rover drew a giant outline of the SUV in the sand at Red Wharf Bay in Anglesey, Wales- the place where the model was first imagined by Maurice & Spencer Wilks in 1947. Six Defenders drew the outline by driving with 12-foot agricultural harrows attached to them. A Land Rover Series I, II and III were joined on the beach by a Ninety from the Eighties, a Defender 90 Hard Top and a Defender 110 Station Wagon.

While production in the UK will come to an end in 2015, the British marquee has confirmed the consideration of overseas production. Any continuation would see low volume production maintained for selected fleets and special vehicle applications for sale outside the EU.

Land Rover also revealed the Heritage, Adventure and Autobiography Limited Edition Defenders.

Priced at £30,900 (approximately Rs 29.53 Lakh), the Heritage Edition features a Grasmere Green paint-job and a contrasting white roof. It also gets a "heritage grille" and HUE 166 graphics.

The Adventure Edition is priced at £38,400 (approximately Rs 36.70 Lakh) & comes with additional under-body protection and Goodyear MT/R tyres among other features.

The Autobiography Edition comes with a dual-tone paint-job, full Windsor leather upholstery and an upgraded engine. While the other two editions produce around 120 bhp and 360 Nm of torque from the 2.2-litre diesel engine, the Autobiography Edition makes 148 bhp and 400 Nm of torque. The range topping model is priced at £61,500 (approximately Rs 58.77 Lakh)