Press Report : Forster plans to fill Jaguar Land Rover gaps

Thomas Geiger, Automotive News Europe, 12th July, 2010

LONDON – Tata Motors CEO Carl-Peter Forster plans to move quickly to fill gaps in the Jaguar and Land Rover lineups. “Over the next few years we plan to nearly double our vehicle selection,” he told Automobilwoche, a German sister publication of Automotive News Europe.

Tata Motors is the parent company for the two brands. Forster, the former head of General Motors Co. in Europe, joined Tata in February. He and Ralf Speth, the new Land Rover and Jaguar CEO, recently took inventory of the brands.

“We didn’t actually have to start at zero, but there were many gaps in the portfolio,” Speth said. “We had to initially consider what the brands should look like and what models we should have. We are building additional variations on existing models, we are launching new model lines and we are investing in new engines.”

Forster said Tata plans a replacement for the aged Land Rover Defender and cites drastic weight reduction as a key goal in the development of successors to the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.

We had to initially consider what the brands should look like and what models we should have. We are building additional variations on existing models, we are launching new model lines and we are investing in new engines.” Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover

Last week Land Rover showed a new small SUV, the two-door Range Rover Evoque, which goes on sale in Europe enxt summer and in the United States late 2011. The Evoque will be the smallest, most fuel-efficient vehicle in the brand’s lineup. It will be available as a hybrid and without all-wheel drive, if desired. The Evoque is expected to start at about $50,000.

Forster also sees a shortage of small vehicles at Jaguar. “We need a successor to the X-Type and finally the small sports car that has been discussed for so long,” he said. “And we need both cars in several variations.”

Work on the cars has begun and the first development steps have been approved but the company will have to wait one to two years for them.

Forster also plans to expand existing model lines. For example, an XF with an extended wheelbase is planned for China and a station wagon is planned for Europe.

[Source: Automotive News Europe]

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Clive claims that his interest in the BMC>MG story dates back to his childhood in the 1960s when the family’s garage premises were leased to a tenant with an Austin agency. However, back in the 1920s and 1930s, his grandmother was one of the country’s first female Garage Proprietors so cars probably run in his genes!

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