With the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover really, truly official, it hasn't taken long for every automotive news outlet to come out with its own take on the future of both storied marques.
Autoweek distilled Jaguar and Land Rover's product offerings over the next eight years into about 800 words, beginning with the 2009 Jaguar XFR and XKR. According to its sources, both of these high-performance cats will be powered by all-new 5.0-liter, direct-injected V8s, with the naturally aspirated version producing 380 hp and the supercharged variant knocking on the 500 hp ceiling. Jag is expected to fit the new ZF seven-speed automatic 'box to both models, while the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport will get a mild facelift and benefit from the duo of upgraded powerplants.
Come 2010, the Jag XJ will get an XF-inspired facelift, but will still maintain its regal lines and luxo-cruiser status. The X-type will finally meet its timely demise, while the LR3 will get a nip and a tuck along with the aforementioned 380-hp, 5.0-liter DI V8. By 2011, the LRX will make its production debut, with a possible hybrid version coming later in its lifecycle, along with a seven-seat variant in 2012. That same year, Tata is hoping to release a successor to the F-Type. Based off either the XF or XK platform, the two-seat sports car may finally realize the concept that we saw back in 2000. After that, it's all about refreshes and new variations, including an XF coupe, a new Range Rover that will be chock full of luxuries and carrying a hefty price tag ($200k?!), along with all-new versions of the XF, XJ, Range Rover, and finally, a seriously revised Defender that could underpin the next LR3.
AutoCar's take on the future of Jag and LR is a similar story, with less prognostication about products and more about business practices and platform sharing. You can read all three articles by following the source links below.
[Sources: Autoweek, AutoCar (1) (2)]
REPORT: Racer dies in 24 Hours of LeMons crash
VIDEO: Danica Patrick hits crew member on pit lane at Indy
Nick Hogan sentenced to 8 months in jail
Pontiac El Cami-"NO"
Spy Shots: Baby Cayenne caught on 'Ring!
Future Classic: 1984 Chrysler Minivans
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
First Drive: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen
Project Track Slut, Part One: Pick a weapon on the cheap
By the Numbers: April 2008
_thumbnail.jpg "Lamborghini Reventon unboxed in Las Vegas")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TriShield @ Mar 26th 2008 2:12PM
Life will probably go on as usual for both brands just as it has for Aston. Instead of sucking Ford dry and money out of American they will be sucking it out of Tata and India. Unless of course Tata wants to radically shake up both companies, then we may see some changes.
Jason @ Mar 26th 2008 2:15PM
Where the *bleep* is my US Bound Defender 90!?!?
johnmsp @ Mar 26th 2008 3:01PM
The article says it will probably be redesigned on the discovery platform.
Dude @ Mar 26th 2008 2:17PM
Maybe the new owner will take both brands back to their design roots. Ford is leaving both brands a mess. The XF is retchid and Land Rovers look more like CUVs than SUVs.
Good luck Tata.
peafunk @ Mar 26th 2008 2:24PM
Are you out of your mind? Are you really calling a LR3 a CUV??? Have you even seen or driven a XF? My guess is that you drive some sort of a Toyota(cars for people who hate cars)
akatsuki @ Mar 26th 2008 3:58PM
The XF could have been much better, the C-XF was a great design. The last thing they need are more retro designs though.
As for the Land Rovers, they are becoming cute-utes. The main attraction of them was that they were one of the holdouts of hardcore expedition vehicles, now they are minivan of the 2000s.
Dude @ Mar 26th 2008 4:23PM
@peafunk
What kind of bizarro world exists where people commenting on boring or ugly design are assumed to drive Toyotas?
Randy @ Mar 26th 2008 4:31PM
Dude! That was perfect! ha ha!
Ian @ Mar 26th 2008 2:40PM
Under Ford the quality of both Jaguar and LandRover has recovered from the precipise of self annihilation. Both brands have EVERYTHING to thank Ford for. B4 Ford both these names were suffering from cost cutting and lousy quality control and poor overall management. It was amazing the Ford was so desperate for premium brands, at that time, that they way way overpaid for them.
TATA at least is getting cars which are reasonably reliable and modern with some new designs for the future.
Ford never finally decided to MOVE production FROM the UK. The cost structure of manufacturing mass production cars just doesn't work in the UK. Now one has to believe that TATA bought both brands for 2 reasons.
1) "I've made it baby"."I'm a member of the Club". Yup the developing country bites back and BUYS world brands from it's former Colonialistic Rulers (well most feel these 2 brands are more "British" than "American"). Maybe some think this an overstatement, but you get the message
2) TATA believes these brands can thrive under their stewardship. This can ONLY be achieved, IMHO, by MOVING major parts production OUT of the UK and into India. Don't fight it guys, it's for the ultimate survival of these 2 brands. It could work.
MK @ Mar 28th 2008 11:21AM
Yeah, because building cars works so very horribly in Germany, Austria, Finland, Italy, Japan, the US or France..
These are all countries with a very comparable cost of work as the UK
psarhjinian @ Mar 26th 2008 3:34PM
It's not so much the cost of manufacturing in the UK, it's that the engineering culture needed for automobile mass-production just doesn't exist there.
Coach- and supercars, sure, but anything more than a a few tens of cars per month does not do well there. Ford did well, but it had a lot of endemic QA problems that it inherited from Jag and Rover. Tata is likely going to try to build these products from a ground-up plant that doesn't have the legacy management trouble of the current UK ones.
Noah @ Mar 26th 2008 3:07PM
If the day ever came where I could choose between MB, BMW, Audi, and Jaguar... it would be jaguar. All of these brands have their unique style, but Jaguar really hits it for me.
why not the LS2LS7? @ Mar 26th 2008 3:24PM
I'm sure Land Rover is glad to get the uncertainty of a pending sale behind them. Now they can begin planning for the next sale, which will probably be about 2011 or so.
k.w.a @ Mar 26th 2008 3:55PM
wait, wait, wait,... a $200k Range Rover?! what the hell are they gonna put in there to make it cost $200k??
British_Rover @ Mar 26th 2008 9:33PM
My sources tell me a base price of 100,000 for the next Range Rover and it will come out around 2012. Prices approaching 200,000 for a fully optioned possibly LWB reborn edition are possible.
Just from skimming those stories nothing really seems new. The autoweek article in particular is a rehash of an older autoweek article. Everyone knows something must be done with the Defender as it is very labor intensive to make cutting into profitability. For the past two years a new Defender on a cut down T-5 platform has been hinted at.
_Jon @ Mar 26th 2008 4:00PM
First, part of the agreement is the the assembly plants do not move off the Island. So fugetabhout that.
Second, while we have greatly increased their quality, Jaques' "plan" was to bring the cars to a greater market. (Ironically, while bringing Ford up from the "common market " - which flopped horribly.) So the next step is to re-design the products so that they are more exclusive and more attractive in their price points.
Third, it takes between 3 and 5 years to design a car / truck. So anything that comes out in the next 5 years or so is still going to be a Ford-based design. And the supplier contracts reflect that.
AC @ Mar 26th 2008 5:10PM
Are the XK180 and F-Type concept the same car? If not, go for the XK!
Series II @ Mar 26th 2008 10:27PM
Those who bitch and moan the loudest about these two brands are usually those who can't afford them in the first place. Both brands are in the black for Q1 of 2008...not to mention the awards and recognition they have been receiving. I will enjoy saying "Tata" to Ford!!!