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Saturday, May 02, 2009
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Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Saturday, May 02, 2009 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version | Audio | Blogs |
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Cars Corporate - Outlook
The Jaguar XF: Coming soon Our Bureau Mumbai, May 1 More than a year after Tata Motors acquired Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR), the two British car brands are entering the Indian market through an exclusive marketing tie-up with their Indian parent. “Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, including Jaguar’s XF and XKR and Land Rover’s Discovery and Range Rover, will now become officially available in this rapidly expanding market,” said a JLR release from Gaydon, England. “It is an important strategic move for JLR and will enable us to realise our competitive potential in this significant market,” said Mr David Smith, CEO, in a statement. “Our plan is to sell it as completely-built units just as we are doing in other parts of the world,” Mr Don Hume, Director-Corporate and Government Affairs, JLR, told Business Line. On the prospects of assembling the vehicles here, he said that it was too early to comment on this possibility. “Our priority is to establish our brand in India. We expect initial sales volumes to be in hundreds in the first year,” he added. The JLR range is priced in the range of £21,000 and £78,000 in the UK. Along with the 103 per cent import duty, the landed cost could be anything between Rs 31 lakh and Rs 1.16 crore. The entry of JLR models would cause some ripples in the luxury segment of the car industry. Currently, Audi sells cars in the range of Rs 29 lakh and Rs 1 crore while Mercedes Benz sells cars priced between Rs 29 lakh and Rs 83 lakh. BMW’s models cost Rs 26 lakh to Rs 1.24 crore. The newly formed Premier Car Division within Tata Motors’ Passenger Car Business unit will cater to distribution of the vehicles. The first JLR showroom at Ceejay House in Worli, Mumbai, will open in June. The division headed by Mr Rohit Suri will develop an exclusive dealer network in the next couple of years. “This is a natural move for both businesses and will allow JLR to establish a strong and deserved presence in India,” said Mr Ravi Kant, Managing Director of Tata Motors, in a press release. Tata Motors had bought both the brands from Ford Motor Company in March 2008 for $2.3 billion. With three plants in the UK, JLR has been struggling in the slowdown and is in talks with the British Government for an £800-million emergency package. The brands should remain British: Tata Jaguar, Land Rover: From utilitarian to premium ‘Uptrend in Land Rover, Jaguar sales’ More Stories on : Cars | Outlook | Tata Motors Ltd
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