Range Rover Evoque – Colossal Comeback for JLR
Since Tata Motors’ Jaguar Land Rover Compact Crossover SUV, the Range Rover Evoque, was launched on 9th of September, JLR have been awestruck with the positive reviews the Evoque receives from all over the world. The Evoque won more than 100 international accolades which is a rarity in automobile scene.
JLR’s sales soared through the skies with more than 60,000 units sold till April-2012. This sales figure only indicates that the demand for Evoque is increasing in a fast pace with markets like India and China also seeing an increase in sales of the Evoque. With help of the Evoque, JLR had a revenue growth of over 41 % and believe it or not, an 89 % growth without tax.
The Land Rover Freelander 2 is celebrating yet another milestone today. The SUV model which donated its platform for the Evoque, a runaway hit, is no slow-seller itself as it surpassed 300k units at the Halewood production lines.
For the Indian market’s consumption the Freelander 2 is assembled at Tata’s refurbished assembly line in Chikhli, Pune. The Freelander was relaunched in India last year and has been contributing in little amounts to JLR’s overall volume in India.
If you went at the 2012 New Delhi Auto Expo, you would remember that Land Rover presented the DC100 for the masses to oogle at. The DC100 started as a design study for the next generation Defender all set to bow in 2015. However, Land Rover is seriously considering an entry level model based on the DC100 to rival the likes of Skoda Yeti and Mini Countryman.
According to Autocar, the DC100 production model will be based on the Evoque platform. The DC100 will form the new new leisure-oriented range in a wider scheme of things of launching 40 new cars over the next five years. It will have a more desirability quotient and less of the ruggedness of the Defender. Though being an entry level SUV, it will have more car like features.
Jaguar has set its eyes on fast emerging luxury market of India and China. In order to invade the Chinese markets, it needed a partner that could bring in the local expertise. According to Chinese government regulations, foreign car manufacturers can only build manufacturing plants in China if they sign joint venture deals with indigenous brands.
Hence, there were a lot of rumors about the British marquee tying the knot with Chery Automobile Company. However, it is now officially announced that this Indo-British-Chinese venture is all set to capture the luxury market in China.
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Land Rover is hiring about 1,000 workers for its Halewood plant in the UK to speed up the production of the Range Rover Evoque. The workforce at the plant will be tripled to 4,500 compared to jobs this factory generated three years back. Halewood is the only manufacturing facility that produces the Evoque.
Read our first look of the Range Rover Evoque
The plant will now work 24 hours straight operating three shifts which is an impressive turnaround considering the kind of questions asked by industry experts on the survival of the Land Rover brand with the increasing fuel prices and tightening emission norms, just a few years ago.
The list of contenders that will rival the mighty BMW X1 just keeps on growing. Audi is already out with its Q3 model. Mercedes is planning a GLC crossover which will debut in 2014. Volkswagen is also planning a sub-Tiguan crossover. And now Land Rover has officially made an announcement that it is considering a Sub FreeLander model to extend its product portfolio.
The new product will be a ‘white space’ model which means that it will open up a whole new segment for the company. The new model will be a part of the company’s ‘Leisure’ lineup, other product lines being ‘Utility’ (Defender, Discovery) and Luxury (Evoque and Range Rover).
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For everyone who is a mad fan of TopGear, the epic British car show, this news should not come in as a surprise. In the last week show Jeremy tried to scissor the top of a Range Rover Evoque to make it a convertible. Land Rover, mighty impressed with the idea, have revealed Range Rover Evoque convertible prior to its Geneva debut.
What’s in store?
The Range Rover Evoque Convertible Concept is based on the three-door coupe variant and uses an electronically powered soft-top roof with a glass rear screen. The dropped top is tucked away neatly under a plastic cover located behind the rear seats.
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Tata Motors has indeed proved to be the ‘Knight in Shining Armor’ for the damsel in distress Jaguar-Land Rover. Back in 2008, when Tata Motors agreed purchase the British marquee from Ford, dark clouds surrounded the future of Jaguar-Land Rover. However within 3 years, Tata Motors managed to spin it off as a profit making entity.
Tata Motors has now announced that it will double the capital expenditure and product development. In the last six years, Jaguar Land Rover has spent around 700 to 800 million pounds annually on research. This figure will be boosted to 1.5 billion pounds each year.
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Since Tata Motors’ Jaguar Land Rover Compact Crossover SUV, the Range Rover Evoque, was launched on 9th of September, JLR have been awestruck with the positive reviews the Evoque receives from all over the world. The Evoque won more than 100 international accolades which is a rarity in automobile scene.
