Another reason the FL was cut in NA...

[dormobiledisco]

Just found this old-ish BBC article...apparently, LR is running out of Freelander engines, which were made by MG Rover, so they cut the North American production (where they don't sell anyway) to help make more for Europe where they're popular.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/4572249.stm

Thought it might be of interest...

 

[jsonova99]

Is it me or are the sales figures for the FL dismal in the US. Is LR making a profit off of it over here? I know they are huge in Europe, but can the FL compete with the Highlander or CRV in terms of sales? This isn't meant to be a shot at the FL itself in anyway, so don't anyone be offended. I'm just curious. I gues there is a new one coming though, so maybe things will improve.

 

[syoung]

When Midland Powertrain went under with MG/Rover, the supply of engines went with it- that's old news. L.R. stockpiled what they could and then set about a rationing system and huge core charges on failed engines so they can contract out some refurbs to keep the ones already on the market sustainable. No new news here.
Sales started out brisk on them, but by the end was just kind of a trickle- still a big moneymaker for L.R. that helped the company through a tough transition. The press was brutal on them- they hated the simple interior on the earlier ones (makes me wonder what they'd say about a Defender if it came back) and they hated the noises they made and they often went on for paragraphs about the cup holders.