The well-known British sports and luxury car maker, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), is prepared to kick start the most aggressive venture in its history. Reportedly, the wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motor has framed ambitious plans to develop a five-seat crossover that will take on the likes of BMW X3 and Audi Q5. The entry of JLR in this segment will promise an exciting competition for the German trios.
At the recent Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Tata Motors regarding future prospects of JLR, the Chairman of parent company, Ratan Tata quoted, “The Company is working on an ambitious product plan which will see JLR building smaller compact cars as well as getting into segments to take on Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi more aggressively. We have not had that benefit for several years; we decided that now JLR needs to build new products and get into new segments and that is what we are pursuing. It is a very ambitious task and it is really for the future health of the company.”
It is believed that the new product form the JLR’s stable will boast of comforts like crossovers and sedan, blended with road presence like SUV. Notably, a typical crossover comprises luxurious interiors, ample space, top-of-the line security features and a decent ground clearance, which are all expected to be packed within the new model of JLR. Presently, the crossover segment of the Indian auto industry is dominated by the German cousins, BMW and Audi.
Reportedly, the British car maker is also working on another project, expected to be an entry-level sedan, which will square off against the likes of BMW 3 Series. With the X-Type sedan discontinued few years ago, since then the company had no offerings in the respective segment. Apart from BMW 3 series, the speculated entry-level sedan is predicted to target Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4. It is believed that the upcoming sedan will be on the pricier side than the Jaguar XF sedan.
Coming back to the crossover, as per industry experts, the new JLR model will sport top-notch features and will surely help the company to hold a strong foothold in the Indian auto industry. With 13 dealerships at present, the auto giant has been gradually increasing its market presence and upcoming products will cement its market presence in India. The expected public debut of the model is 2015.
