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In the wake of the ongoing ban on diesel vehicles above 2000cc in Delhi-NCR, which is expected to extend to other parts of the country, Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) India is planning to ensure that all its upcoming models have both options — petrol and diesel.
“We will ensure that all our models have petrol as well as a diesel options, and have to see how far this ban is extended across the country. That will dictate our future decision. But, one thing is clear, we need to have both options in our portfolio,” Rohit Suri, President, JLR India, told BusinessLine .
Suri admitted that the ban on diesel vehicles had impacted the company, as 20 per cent of its sales are from Delhi-NCR. Nevertheless, the company has managed to sell over 1,000 units in the first quarter of this calendar year, up 45 per cent from the same quarter last year, he said.
Products such as the recently launched XE (sports sedan) and the upcoming F-Pace (SUV) will drive the company’s growth in volumes as well as market share, he added.
The company has a market share of around 9 per cent right now and expects double-digit growth this fiscal.
Launching XE “was like entering a new segment altogether”, Suri recalled, adding: “We did not have any model which would compete with segments like Mercedes-Benz’s C class and BMW’s 3 series. XE is giving us an opportunity to actually address a new segment.”
The company, which has a mix of sedans (like XE, XF, XJ) and SUVs (Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport), the two categories have a 50:50 share in its overall sales.
Asked about investment plans, Suri said the company continues to invest in new products and capacity expansion. It has 23 showrooms in the country and plans to add another three by March-end, he added.
On Monday, the company launched the petrol version (2000cc) of Land Rover Discovery Sport at a starting price of ₹56.50 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
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