Jaguar Land Rover’s new boss, Carl-Peter Forster, has emerged from 100 days of silence to reveal plans for a major product shake-up.
The radical vision includes greater separation for the Land Rover and Range Rover brands, the launch of an all-new, mid-size Range Rover between LRX and Range Rover Sport, a potential for the Tata Group to manufacture ‘own-brand’ diesel and petrol engines to be shared with JLR, and the opening of a plant in China to assemble around 20,000 Freelander-based models per year by 2014.
Forster, the ex-GM Europe chief who became Tata Motors group CEO in February, was accompanied by Dr Ralph Speth, the ex-Ford executive who joined JLR as CEO (and Forster’s right-hand-man) at the same time.
Speaking a day after Tata Group announced a 40 per cent profit jump that included a modest return to profitability for Jaguar and Land Rover, the pair said their future strategy was “step-by-step expansion, not at the expense of profits, that will add new models, new engines and new derivatives to our three ranges, Jaguar, Range Rover and Land Rover”.
Reports that newly profitable JLR has shelved plans to close one of its three UK manufacturing plans are incorrect, Forster said. Under present plans either Solihull or Castle Bromwich will close around the middle of this decade — but no further decision about which would be saved is likely to come before the end of a product review. Forster praised “the entrepreneurial spirit” of his Tata-led group, which he said is creating a new culture at Gaydon.
He confirmed that Jaguar was investigating the business case for a small Jaguar saloon, and was proceeding quickly with the new, sub-XK Jaguar roadster, a plan dear to the heart of group chairman Ratan Tata.
“We are looking at clay models now,” said Forster, “and we are all pretty keen on what we see.”
Steve Cropley
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Re: JLR set for radical shake-up
he did this once before. flounced off in a cloud of steam. something to do with bikes.
Re: JLR set for radical shake-up
TStag. Okay, thanks for your opinion! My thought on this is that LR should be competing in all sectors - it's surely the way forward for a company owned by Tata. By focusing on a small sector (Ascot wives, Championship footballers, etc.) I don't think that's maximising your potential at all. Apparently you're happy with that. Wow - do you work for LR?
In my opinion, LR should have a Yeti equivalent (like five years ago!), a all-rounder new Defender (something coming, but will it be an all-rounder), mid-sized 4x4 like the LRX, Freelander or Discovery (but not all three) and a top class 4x4 like the RR. However, I wouldn't stop there. I'd branch into farm and road construction vehicles - taking on JCB and Caterpillar (after all, LR has the tough name). There's so much else they could do too. But LR consistently fails to see a bigger picture. The LRX is typical of LR - slotting it between Freelander and Discovery - but not really, as it will be the same price!
So, I'm not suggesting LR compete with Skoda (try reading someone's piece in future), I'm suggesting LR pull their bloody finger out and start competing within their own field, but on other company's patches. They have this respected name which they do little with. Lamborghini have just started making gas boilers. Now to some this belittles the name, but Lamborghini aren't stupid - they know that many people will want that logo in their kitchen (which the boiler has).
Unfortunately though, we have people like you in Britain, TStag, who can't understand marketing and promotion - and that's one reason why we have seen our manufacturing sector collapse. We need to start making and selling things to the world, or we'll end up like Greece.
(BTW, I'm off this forum for good now, as people like TStag (and others) comment without thinking, and I don't want to waste my time anymore). Have fun everyone.
Re: JLR set for radical shake-up
Don't hold your breath...