HIGH HOPES AS
DEFENDER GOES EAST
Copyright 2001 www.tombraiderchronicles.com
[ October 22nd 2001 ]
Midlands
based off-road manufacturers Land Rover will re-introduce
the iconic 4x4 Defender to the Japanese car market
during the Tokyo Motor Show later this month with
three vehicles from its current catalogue including
Lara Croft's V8 Defender.
Land
Rover assaulted the silver screen this summer
by supplying Lara Croft and her evil adversaries
with a range of off-road vehicles including a
tough, military grade customized V8 Defender based
on the high-capacity 110-inch-wheelbase version.
The strategic
advertising alliance with Paramount Pictures also
suited Land Rover who said the movie was "a great
fit as it took audiences on a wild ride all over
the globe" Land Rover are now hoping to capitalize
on the Far Eastern off-road market as Lara Croft
Tomb Raider begins its second week in Japan.
"Japan
is a big market for us and Tokyo is a very important
show," a Land Rover spokesperson told the Financial
Times, "we will be showing the new Defender 2002
at the show alongside the revamped Freelander
and a Defender which appeared in the Tomb Raider
movie."
Land
Rover has already racked up 1,900 vehicle sales
in Japan during the past seven months, and this
latest move will boost the companies profile in
the ferocious 4x4 market.
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