@Hippo has been around, got notification he liked one of my posts recently - I am honoured!
TBH emmisions, manufacuring costs, safety levels, EURO legislation blah blah - they are not reasons to stop manufacturing of 'a Defender'. They are reasons why JLR needed to develop a new vehicle and excuses people outside JLR give for its demise.
Lets face it these are the same reasons why European manufacturers are still main players in motor vehicle manufacturing-because they still have the resources and knowledge to create vehicles to these ever changing regulations. In many ways they are regulations to protect European motor manufacturers.
Over the last 25 years JRL, be it under guises of BMW, Ford or Tata, has chosen to put those developments into RR, Discover, Freelander, Evoke - but not Defender. So it is choices over those many years and different owners that leads LR to not have "a Land Rover".
I hope they do build another "proper Land Rover". I'm sure they can and I'm sure they will sell lots of them - the #1 selling vehicle in NZ is the Hilux and it has been for many years - I'm sure in no small part due to lack of investment in Defender. I'm sure it will also help to retain high volume sales of other vehicles in the LR stable.
Its a bit like Queen without Freddie Mercury or Fortmun & Masons without Hampers!