Tata Motors Land Rover JLR
It’s been two years since Tata Motors acquired Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford Motor Company for US$ 2.3 billion in an all cash deal. At the time, skeptics had it that Tata may have bitten more than they can chew, but two years down, these two companies have a different story to tell. Vikram Gour unravels JLR..
Going back a little in history, both Jaguar and Land Rover have been plagued by the fact that they were small fish in a big pond. Under Ford’s umbrella, the two British brands didn’t enjoy a very high level of priority and when the economic slowdown hit, Ford had to bail itself out and that is when Tata got its hand on the two companies. Land Rover was still better off, for the company had a line of excellent vehicles that were doing decent numbers till the slowdown, but Jaguar had suffered even more, not just in terms of monetary standings, but in terms of their product portfolio. Ford had tried to bring Jaguar under its wing by increasingly building the brand as a mass luxury market player in the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW, however Jaguar has always been different in terms of design and brand ethos. Nevertheless, the damage was done and Jaguar was in a sorry state and Land Rover was just a little better off.
The focus according to officials has come from the top. Tata Motors is more than clear that it wants both brands to function as independents and to work their way back to what the brands stood for. Land Rover has always been more or less on track, however they had to shun the tag of being gas guzzlers. As part of their design ethos which includes elements such as premiumness, desirability, functionality and sustainability, the focus has been on sustenance. The company is now looking at using lighter materials for building vehicles, recyclable materials are also a priority. On the engine front there is heavy research and development in the field of hybrids, as well as enhancing the range on existing engines. Standing testimony to the brand design ethos is the soon to be launched Evoque, which is an evolutionary outlook at what Land Rover stands for.
