Posts Tagged ‘Tata’

First Look at the New Range Rover Evoque

Friday, August 13th, 2010

The Jaguar Land Rover Company under the Tata Motors of India is planning to roll out the new 5-door Evoque model under the Range Rover brand together with a slew of other engineering and cosmetic changes to its current Land Rover models.

The new Evoque will use the same Range Rover platform launched last week but will use narrower aperture doors in the rear and shorter doors on the front for a scheduled product launching in 2012.

The largest automobile maker in India seems to be on an overhauling binge for its Jaguar and Land Rover marques. This is an upbeat indication of its optimism on a resurgent world markets for luxury vehicles. It is also planning to get a revised Freelander model released, a reclassification of the Land Rover Defender line, a new engine for its Range Rover Sport SUV and a possibly streamlined Discovery diesel SUV stable.

The Range Rover Sport SUV slated for 2011 release will get a new engine built around a 3 liter 6-cylinder TDV6 diesel.  Its 268 Bhp 3.6-liter 8-cylinder TDV8 will get replaced by a variant of the Jaguar twin-turbo 3-liter V6 petrol engine delivering 271 Bhp.

In a decision seen as controversial among its customers, the new and more powerful 305 Bhp 4.4-liter 8-cyclinder TDV8 will be fitted as the standard engine for the main Range Rover which has been anticipated by many of its customers to be used in a V8 Range Rover Sport.

That apparently, won’t become a reality.  A lower 241 Bhp 3-liter TFV6 diesel with single turbo charging is more likely to be used for its entry level diesel Range Rover Sport.

The new Freelander slated for release in 2011 is now set for production with noticeable interior changes such as a new dashboard instrument panel design and gauges as well as a redesigned center console and switchgear that are expected to bring the Freelander cabin to a more luxurious level.

In addition, there will be more soft-touch synthetic parts with a closer affinity to the Land Rover Discovery SUV in terms of finish, fit and trim.  Tata Motors expect these changes to offer customers of the new Freelander more value for the money.

For the Land Rover Discovery, product streamlining is reserved for its diesel line next year starting with an entry level 193 Bhp 2.7 liter 6-cylinder TDV6 engine getting phased out in favor of a new and more powerful 241 Bhp 3-liter TDV6.   Its top of the line Discovery will now be powered by a twin-turbocharged TDV6 delivering 271 Bhp.

The company will also be reclassifying the classic Land Rover Defender line as a commercial vehicle in a move seen by automobile observers as being prompted by new and more stringent legal mandates on vehicle size and weight in the US and European markets.  The reclassification, however, is not expected to result in any engineering, technical or cosmetic change to the current model, so far.

Tata Motors Eyes New Jaguar, Land Rover Models

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

One of the largest automobile makers in the world and owner of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands of luxury vehicles, Tata Motors recently disclosed its plans for new models under the JLR brands coming out of its drawing boards.  It also plans to export some of those to the international markets while penetrating new overseas markets in the process.

The Tata Group’s board chairman Ratan Tata reveals that under the Jaguar brand, its Jaguar Land Rover Company will be introducing an entry level station wagon and a new roadster. This revelation is made by India’s largest automobile maker in terms of sales in its annual report for its fiscal year ending March 31st released only last Monday.

It should be remembered that Tata Motors bought the iconic British Jaguar and Land Rover marques from Ford Motors Co back in March 2008 for a reported $2.3 billion.

This happened amidst a developing global market meltdown that saw vehicle sales in US and European markets slump to record lows and almost closed down the big 4 Detroit car makers.  The marque was previously owned by BMW before Ford bought it in 2000.

While the first two years of the marque under Tata’s ownership proved to be a headache, with the first quarter of its preceding fiscal year well into its second year of ownership, still showing depressed market demands for the two brands.  But the last quarter of the same fiscal year extending into early 2010 showed remarkable improvements resulting in a net profit of ₤3 million ($4.7 million) for the JLR company.

The market has steadily shown signs of recovery and the increasing market demand for JLR models and the improved sales prove it, the report revealed.  It further indicated its plans to concentrate its marketing initiatives on the emerging Middle East and China markets.

The company also disclosed its plans to have the entire Land Rover SUV line revamped and has already started with a new sport utility vehicle model Evoque under the Range Rover brand.  There are also new Land Rover vehicles with more fuel efficient and hybrid engines on the drawing board.

As part of its plans, Tata Motors is setting its sights on expanding its international market presence and the company is considering putting up new manufacturing facilities overseas. An assembly plant in South Africa is expected to start operating soon for its commercial vehicles.

During the last fiscal year, Tata Motors report that its commercial vehicle exports rose moderately to 27,878 units up by 4.7% over the previous fiscal year, while its passenger vehicle exports experienced a 9.9% decline to just 6.231 units against the same period.

The company expects this numbers to improve starting this fiscal year.  Outside of the JLR brand, the company says it is working to develop model variants of its indigenous cars Indigo Manza, Indica Vista and the Nano, considered the world’s cheapest car, for international markets.

Tata Motors on the Roll with Jaguar Land Rover Sales

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

The largest auto maker in India, Tata Motors, reports a dramatic 50% surge in vehicle sales.  Its Jaguar and Land Rover marques lead the rally with a whopping 72% jump in its UK markets alone.  The happy news boosted the company’s Sensex share prices to 2.2% in early Wednesday afternoon trading.  The rise contributed to the Sensex benchmark average which was up by 0.3%.

Amazing Turnaround

For a long time since Tata Motors acquired the Jaguar Land Rover division from ailing Ford Motors in 2008, at the height of the economic recession brought about by the collapse of the Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, the JLR was proving to be a losing business proposition that almost made the Tata Group regret its purchase decision.  But over the last 12 months, the company has been reaping a whirlwind turnaround totally beyond the company sales forecast.

Jaguar’s luxury car sales grew 34% while Land Rover SUVs leaped 93% in May compared with the same period last year.  Jaguar car sales have seeing a steady month-to-month growth since the launch of its latest XJ sedan.

With the economic recession seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, but getting extended by the sovereign debt crises triggered by Greece early this year, it’s almost amazing that most of the JLR’s turnaround would be coming from Europe. Now what could be driving the sales from a continent gripped in a debt crisis at the moment?

Analysts opine that Tata Motors is benefiting from new model launches which have sustained the appetite for its luxury cars in the high end markets considered more immune to the recession. Mumbai-based brokerage firm Ambit Capital observes that “The new launches are especially helping Jaguar. And Land Rover is a strong brand by itself. Overall, there has been no negative volume traction yet despite the looming crisis in Europe.

Going Forward

Europe and the UK account for more than 50% of Tata Motors total export sales.  The new model launches are expected to sustain market demands for the few more months remaining in 2010 but it is not certain what the long term market prognosis will be with the looming debt crisis.  Many market analysts are still hopeful any adverse impact on the economy will not dampen or erode the luxury car markets.

While Tata Motors stock more than doubled in the last 12 months, it has lost 8.8% last month as the manufacture of the world’s cheapest car, the Nano, has been battling rising cost of raw materials and domestic competition.

India to Assemble Land Rover Freelander

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

India’s largest automobile manufacturer Tata Motors plans to start local assembly of the Land Rover’s Freelander towards the end of 2010. Its Pimpri car manufacturing facilities near Pune is being retooled with the right machineries for assembly of the Land Rover model.  Its Jaguar Land Rover subsidiary plans to launch these locally assembled Freelanders by the middle of 2011 for the local markets.

Retrofitting the Local Factory

It was earlier learned that the same factory near Pune was being used by Mercedes Benz for assembly of some of its cars but have since transferred to its Chakan factory in Pune, leaving it free for the JLR to take over for its Freelander assembly.

Industry sources have intimated that Tata Motors is expected to begin trial assembly and production in December after investing around Rs 1.5 billion to retrofit the former Mercedes Benz factory.  The redesigned factory will have a capacity of 20 Freelanders per month but Tata Motors plan to assemble other cars under the Land Rover brand.

Industry experts are one is saying that the local assembly of the Freelander will have positive impact on its profitability to Tata Motors.  With cheaper labour cost, it means higher profit margins as the company has no plans of reducing the price tags of the local produced SUVs.

A First of its Kind

This is the first time that Jaguar Land Rover will have a local assembly plant outside of its factories in the UK.  The company remains undecided on whether to use the locally assembled Freelanders for its export markets.  But industry experts have opined this is the way to go with China as another option for its car manufacturing ventures.  Considering the increasing affluence of the Chinese middle class, there would be a much higher demand in China.  Tata Motors is seen to realize the cost benefits with imported CBU in India reaching 110% duties and taxes while CKU is only 40%.

The Freelander currently competes with the BMW X3 as well as the Audi Q5 for the mid-market segments for SUVs.  The Freelander currently has a sticker price of Rs 346,900 in Mumbai.  Domestic sales data is rather sparse by Mumbai’s Jaguar Land Rover office has sold 242 Land Rover cars for the 2009-2010 period.

It was in 2008 when Tata Motors acquired the Jaguar Land Rover marque from struggling Ford Motors. For a while, the JLR division continued to hemorrhage but the last 18 months have seen it reap significant profits as the marque reaped a 72% surge in sales in its UK markets recently.   There are currently four JLR distribution outlets in India with a recent Jaguar XJ outlet launched.

A New Updated Range Rover for 2011

Monday, July 12th, 2010

Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover has made same significant upgrades to the 2010 Range Rover models for next model year.  Expect the new 2011 Range Rover to have at least two major core enhancements – a more powerful diesel engine and an all new 8-speed automatic model.

Revamping the Engine

The Range Rover SUV brand has always sported two engine variants, one petrol and another diesel.  The well-regarded 3.6 litre V8 diesel engine already morphed into a heavily re-engineered 3-litre version in the V6 diesel that was adopted for 2010 Land Rover Discovery and Range Rover Sport models, including the Jaguar XJ and XF models with improved fuel efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions.  This time, the V8 goes into another revamp allowing it to overtake the V6.

The V8 capacity is now increased to 4.4 litres providing 313 horsepower and a torque of 700 Newton-metres.  In addition, its combined cycle fuel economy gets improved to 30.1 mpg, making this model the first Range Rover to breach the 30 mpg limits in official road tests.  At the same time, CO2 emissions fall by as much as 14% though still on the heft side at 253 grams per kilometre.

ZF 8-speed Automatic Transmission

The diesel engine gets mated to a new 8-speed automatic transmission gear train which, like the previous 6-speeder, is sourced from the German gearbox specialist ZF.  BMW has been using the same ZF 8-speeder on its flagship cars and SUV for a number of months now and Jaguar Land Rover is only too pleased to take the hint and play catch up even if the gear ratios make little sense on the road.

The new gearbox/engine allows the Range Rover diesel model to accelerate to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds and reach 130mph on the highway.

In the meantime, the current supercharged 5-litre petrol engine remains unchanged and will be offered for the 2011 model year along with the improved diesel model.  It will continue to use the ZF 6-speed transmission gearbox.   Both petrol and diesel models, however, will get an improved Terrain Response system exclusive to the Rover SUV line.  It brings greater ease and manageability for less experienced Range Rover drivers to set its 4X4 drivetrain system to match any type of off-road conditions.

The new 2011 models will have small cosmetic changes as well as new equipment add-ons.  Moreover, a specially accessorized 40th anniversary limited edition in Autobiography Black will be offered next year to celebrate the launch of the Range Rover name in 1970.

Jaguar Land Rover Goes To China

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

It was just a matter of time.  After getting a remarkable upsurge in sales of its Land Rover and Range Rover line, Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover is finally coming to its senses with plans to manufacture its vehicles in China.

Auto industry pundits have long opined that its plans to assemble car in labor-cheap China are essential in establishing Tata’s recently acquired marque as a global player in the automotive industry.

JLR currently has six automotive engineering, manufacturing and assembly plants in the UK, notably its engineering and design centers at Whitley in Coventry and in Gaydon, its Land Rover body assembly and paint shop in Halewood, two Midland factories for Land Rover in Solihull and Jaguar in Castle Bromwich and at Browns Lane in Coventry.

Earlier, there have been specializations that with the improved revenue streams of the company, the planned pull-out and closure of its UK plants in the Midlands would be reversed.  But Indian Owner, Tata Motors have been quick to pour cold water onto the speculation.  The plans has been reaffirmed only last for either its Solihull or Castle Bromwich to close with a final decision sometime next year.

Tata had bought JLR from US auto giant Ford in 2008 for ₤1.7 billion and has been losing money eversince.  Only in May did it see its investment into JLR experience a return to profitability after losing ₤280 million over the months preceding the turnaround.

JLR reported last week it made a profit before tax of ₤32 million in May which saw a 42.3% increase in sales of its Land Rover over the same month last year.  China’s performance was particularly impressive with more than a doubling of its sales over last year at 104% increase.

JLR’s Chief Executive Carl-Peter Forster had unraveled its company’s expansion plans into China while announcing the creation of 1,000 more jobs in the UK, extolling its return to profit and agreeing to sell off Browns Lane veneer factory in Coventry and pulling out of the Browns Lane factory as well.

Prof. David Bailey of the Coventry University’s Business School opined that JLR’s planned expansion into China wont’ impact on its production in the UK for as long as there’s growth in sales and they’re expanding.  He says that what is more important as that “they invest and bring in a new range of models.”

He admits that JLR simply has too many UK plants and that he would not be surprised that even if production ramps up “from 200,000 to 300,000, as they plan to do, they only need two factories in the UK.”

JLR is also planning to create 1,000 new jobs to work on the new Range Rover model to be developed at its Halewood factory in Liverpool which has 3,500 engineers while looking to close down on one of its Midlands plants. At the same, Prof Bailey opines that Carl Forster expects UK government support with the Conservative party expected to shift its tax credit to support smaller companies and with roughly ₤400 million R&D money going to the UK, JLR hopes the UK government does not cut them off.

Land Rover Defies the Global Economic Crunch with a 42% Sales Jump

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

India’s Tata Motors group has declared that its Land Rover total sales shot up to 42.3% in May against last year’s sales for the same month.  It sold 12,181 Land Rover vehicles more than what was sold in the same period last year.

A corporate press statement released this week revealed that its global markets exhibited strong sales performances compared with those of May last year. Its current sales performance for May has been improving “consistently since launching its 2010 model year line-up.”  It may have helped a lot that its new Land Rover models “are equipped with the latest, most technologically advanced and efficient features in all of Land Rover’s history.”

Its domestic market from premium utility vehicles in India contributed the largest share with sales reaching 64% growth with 3.040 units sold.  Its North American markets followed with sales climbing to 2,935 units to register a 24% sales increase.

China was next registering a phenomenal 104% increase with 2,026 units sold with Italy following with a 25.9% growth for selling 1.133 units.  Meanwhile in the UK, its Freelander 2 remains its best seller for the May with 60% sales improvement against the same period last year.  The Range Rover line-up showed the highest rate of market growth in May with a 121% increase in vehicle registration.

In addition, sales of other Land Rover vehicles like the Discovery 4 also registered increases at 84%, the Range Rover at 58% and the Defender at 32% for May 2010.

What do all these reveal?  Not that the global economic recession is over though a lot of recovery signs are being seen everywhere.  But far from it.   It only shows that the premium markets for luxury SUVs remain unperturbed by any kind of economic slowdown caused by the larger consumer markets retreating form any spending activity.  That’s because rich people remain essentially rich to go on as if nothing bad is happening around them despite middle classes losing their jobs and spending capacities.

The Land Rover name, much more that of the Range Rover, is not exactly your typical middle class or mass market product.  Mass market cars below a certain price point tend to suffer diminished sales and reflect the overall economic downturn because they are pitched to markets worst hit by the economic crisis that started in 2008.  Royalties, celebrities and the landed gentries are hardly bothered by all the woes and depressing economics around them while they continue to spend on the luxuries their money can afford.

In short, premium markets are not price sensitive. Nor are they dependent on the overall state of the economy.  Even in countries with severe economic meltdown, rich people simply import what they want or travel overseas to do their shopping.   This is one of the many things savvy brand manufacturers have long taken advantage of by coming out with upscale product lines that cater to the rich and moneyed so they remain afloat even in time of recession.

Range Rover Enters Middle Age

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Surviving six changes of ownership in its lifetime, the now iconic Range Rover SUV celebrates 40 years of its existence on the road this week.  It was on the 17th of June 1970 when British Leyland launched the first generation Range Rover off-roader as a more comfortable and upscale version of its already famous Land Rover that was scheduled to end its line.  The Range Rover remains in production to this day

It didn’t start out as a luxury 4X4 and had relatively spartan appointments by modern standards, but the first Range Rover was a landmark in the emerging Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) category of road vehicles that would soon see a marriage of luxury road sedan and sporting off-road 4X4 utility vehicle.  It had the seeds to become the world’s first true “luxury” 4X4 off and on the on the road and became a sensation as a British icon on the road and earn the name today as the Range Rover Classic.

Even from the start, the first generation Range Rover carried its signature squarish exterior and formal stance inherited from the Land Rover’s rather upright and very British demeanor.  It only had simple vinyl seats with molded rubber for its floors and plastic dashboards you can wash with hose.  Features that would define it as a luxury SUV like air conditioning, power assisted steering, carpeting, leather/cloth seats and interior wood trims were only fitted much later in its 25 year of production.

Land Rover’s Managing Director Phils Popham has this to say about its Range Rover line.  “It’s really 4 vehicles in 1.  It’s a luxury motor car, a leisure car that can go anywhere over highways and no-ways, a high performance long distance tourer and a cross country utility vehicle.”

The “father” of the Range Rover line, Charles Spencer King, a former engineering chief of the company recalls that the Range Rover was designed “to combine the comfort and on-road finesse of a Rover saloon with the off-road muscle of a Land Rover.  Nobody had done it before and it seemed worth the try as Land Rover was in need of a fresh new product.”

1995 saw the next generation Range Rover enter the markets with an updated Rover V8 engine and the option to use BMW’s V6 turbo diesel with the first electronically controlled diesel injected engine for the brand.  Needless to say, it was at this time that the marque went out of British hands into Bavaria’s premier car company BMW that promptly gave it more “German” engineering.  It was positioned way above the Land Rover Discovery and was more luxurious than the Mercedes Benz G-wagen.

By this time, the Range Rover name has firmly etched it enviable place as a topnotch luxury 4X4 that commanded a premium anywhere it was sold.  In 2002, the new Land Rover owner Ford launched the 3rd generation SUV flagship initially developed under BMW.  Today, the Land Rover and range Rover marques are owned by the Tata Motors Group and maintain its factories in Solihull, England. By the end of 2010, there will be a new Range Rover “baby” to debut at the Paris Motor Show.

It is interesting to recall the roots of the Range Rover in the context of its selling price.  You could have one for £1,998 in 1970.  Today, you need to shell out £66,095.for a base model.

Land Rover Gets Intuitive with a New Consumer website

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

There’s a new automobile website designed to delight both curious surfers and prospective customers with a truly unique online experience in choosing the car you want.  It’s the new Land Rover website at landrover.com.

The British marque now owned by the Indian conglomerate Tata Motors has launched the new state-of-the-art website with incorporate stunning images with a fresh intuitive design layout that enhances navigation through its pages to start with.  Once in, you get a more interactive content and richer information on all current and forthcoming Land Rover products and accessories. The newly launched website lets your explore Land Rover vehicles online with unparalleled ease and interactivity.

Anthony Bradbury, marketing director for Land Rover UK has this to say about its new website: “We are seeing a shift in the purchase process, with more customers researching cars online with a visit to the dealership being the final step. Therefore, having a clear user friendly website is vital to help potential buyers access our class leading product line-up.”

What makes the new website a stand-out and fun to use is its  ‘Build and Price’ section that configures any model you choose.  Surfers and prospective clients can now customize a vehicle of their choice with styling details like wheels, interior colour trims and accessories, body colours, in tandem with other optional extras offered on specific vehicle models. The site features include a 360° viewing of the vehicle that allows you to see your customized Rover with detailed technical specification and a price calculator that itemizes each costed custom feature you’ve added to your personalized build in the summary page on the site.

Once done, these personally configured details can be shared with your friends on social networking sites or emailed to them, printed out as hard copies or sent to a local Land Rover dealer nearest you so you can arrange and schedule a test drive.

Right now, some of the ‘Build and Price’ pages are still “coming soon” in its website but this should be out soon.  There are other features on its new site like drop-down pages featuring images of the many accessories for each featured model that can be expanded for more detailed viewing.

Just when most other websites are getting more sophisticated and user-friendly navigation and format presentation, car sites have been mostly left behind with bland static formats and this new Land Rover site aims to correct this impression.

It joins the e-commerce crowd that finally recognizes the new paradigm shift in sales that have people do their shopping right from the comfort and privacy of their homes.  You still won’t be able to charge a Land Rover on your credit cards to shop for one online, but at least it is short of doing that.

With sites that allow consumers to do “what if” customization of their desired product, online consumers can have what they want sent to the nearest dealer and have it ready for a test drive.  The new Land Rover website makes this possible.  GP

Read more about the new Land Rover website at wheelsunplugged.com or you could try the website yourself at landrover.com.

Tata Takes Jaguar Land Rover to the Road of Recovery

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

Amidst a worldwide economic recession, India is surging ahead with a super-fueled economy considered second only to China.  Nothing is more evident of this than the sales performance of Jaguar Land Rover.  It just posted $59 million in profits for the month of February.

Providing an encouraging swing to the recovery in global car sales, India’s Tata Motors reported its division selling luxury British marques Jaguar Land Rover sold 17,197 cars around the world in February. That’s a 60 per cent increase in sales for last month.

The previous 10 months in its fiscal year showed a 16% decline reflecting the dismaying economic slump in 2009, Land Rovers sales were up 62% at 13,905 in February alone, representing 55% higher at 3,292 units.   A JLR spokesman confirmed that “This is the sixth consecutive month of improvement for Land Rover.”

Land Rover sales and Turkey at 162% higher. In other emerging markets, China sales doubled, while sales in Brazil increased 75%. Sales in Korea were up 87% South Africa rose to 165% from the previous quarters.  In the meantime, the more mature North American and Indian domestic markets showed Land Rover sales up at 18% and 46%, respectively.

Tata Motors may have bought the Jaguar Land Rover marques but it continues to employ 8,000 people in the UK to assemble its cars in the West Midlands and at Merseyside and Halewood.

Senior management at Jaguar Land Rover recently reported the company’s first quarter profit since getting acquired from Ford Motors by Tata for £1.25 billion back in the summer of 2008.  From October to December 2009, it enjoyed its first profits of £55 million, a stark contrast with the previous quarter losses of £60 million. On the other hand, its Jaguar XF sports car priced starting at £29,900 has garnered better popularity in the UK selling 992 units in the last ten months compared with 258 units in the 12 months prior.

The Jaguar Land Rover Company is currently overseen by Carl-Peter Forster, the new Tata Motors CEO who used to run General Motor’s European operations. The management team at Jaguar Land Rover also found a new head in the person of Ralf Speth.

Mr. Forster and his team have yet to decide on the fate of Jaguar Land Rover’s two West Midlands factories the UK which were earlier announced by the previous regime as slated for possible closure. Its business plans called for closing either Castle Bromwich which makes Jaguars, or its Solihull plant which makes Land Rovers.

Either way, Tata plans to offset either closure with 800 jobs to be created at Merseyside where the new LRX baby Range Rover is planned to be built.  But it does leave a bad taste in the mouth that just when JLR is earning money, it would down close down historic factories that would lose thousands of jobs.

Moreover, Jaguar Land Rover’s finances got a boost last week with confirmation from the European Investment Bank that it will be at the receiving end of a £340 million research fund.

For more information, visit timesonline.co.uk

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