Why are some Malaysians willing to pay the premium asking price for this new Land Rover Defender?
By now most of you would have read about the all new Defender arriving in Malaysia, but did you know this fact?
Launched in Malaysia just 1 week ago and even before the Malaysian media had a chance to touch and feel it, it was sold out. Yes, the next batch of new Defenders will probably be also sold out before it arrives in Malaysia in early 2022.
So, why is it that despite a large number of remarks on social media about its premium selling price, this all new Defender is sold out?
Well, the answer is very simple.
Strong warranty and after sales provided by Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia and the simple fact that the quality of petrol sold in Malaysia is not as high quality as petrol on sale in United Kingdom, where a lot of re-conditioned new Defenders will be coming from via private car importers, Approved Permit holders. Let us explain.
Even before this new Defender was launched by Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia, there were a dozen or so units imported in by Approved Permit holders and sold for between RM620,000 and RM700,000. These were all United Kingdom registered units that came into the used car market as one-year-old units.
This new Defender was launched in UK in early 2020 and their petrol engines are developed for UK fuel type. The diesel powered units in UK are also developed for UK high quality diesel.
Now, in Malaysia, we have quality diesel, but it has 10 percent bio fuel included and this diesel will NOT be healthy for any new high technology diesel vehicle that comes from Europe.
When Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia (the official importer of all new vehicles and also used factory units) orders the new Defender and also other models from Jaguar Land Rover UK, the factory has to make small engineering changes to the injectors, lines and programming system to accommodate Malaysian diesel quality.
Plus, there is full after sales and warranty provided in case of any issue cropping up. With a used recon unit imported in by an Approved Permit holder, the diesel engine and also petrol engine has not been ‘worked’ on to ensure smooth running and reliability in Malaysia.
This is why after 20,000 or so kilometers or driving on Malaysian roads you will see these reconditioned units being towed to a ‘specialist workshop’ to be worked on as the fuel used over the 20,000 odd kilometers has damaged the engine.
Buyers of these reconditioned Defenders are never informed of this issue as profits are a priority. Then you get the owners making demands and ‘noise’ at Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia dealers.
Sorry, you DID NOT BUY an authorized new Defender or even Range Rover (many have ended up in workshops with expensive repair bills because of Malaysian fuel issues) so you have NO legal claim for warranty or FREE after sales.
In the end, it would have been just better to pay the official selling price for a NEW Defender (or Range Rover) at any Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia showroom and enjoyed a peace of mind motoring experience.
