JLR announces Rs 15,300 crore investment in hi-tech aluminium vehicle modular platform

Frankfurt, September 10, 2013: Jaguar Land Rover has announced an investment approaching £1.5 billion (Rs 15,300 crore) to introduce an all-new technically-advanced aluminium vehicle architecture in forthcoming models. To support this strengthening of the Jaguar product portfolio, 1,700 new jobs are to be created in the UK at its Advanced Manufacturing Facility in Solihull.

Dr Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover CEO, announced the major strategy at the Frankfurt Motor Show to deliver an enhanced range of models for both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands in new segments and markets.

Dr Speth said: “The announcement signals Jaguar Land Rover’s ambitions to push the boundaries and redefine premium car ownership. At Jaguar Land Rover we place the customer at the heart of everything we do and the introduction of a world-class all-new aluminium vehicle architecture means we will be more competitive, flexible and efficient delivering exciting new products for our customers around the world.

“Jaguar Land Rover is a business driven by design, technology and innovation and this investment and level of job creation is yet further evidence of our commitment to advancing the capability of the UK automotive sector and its supply chain.”

The first new model to utilise this innovative architecture will be an all-new mid-sized sports saloon from Jaguar. To be launched in 2015, Jaguar says the car “will be the most efficient, advanced and refined premium sports saloon ever seen in the C/D segment.” The baby Jaguar, which will be a 3-series rival, will be the first recipient of the new family of ‘Hotfire’ petrol and diesel engines to be built at JLR’s new £500m (Rs 5,100 crore) Engine Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton.

The announcement brings the total number manufacturing jobs announced by Jaguar Land Rover to almost 11,000 over the last three years with another 24,000 estimated in the supply chain.

C-X17 revealed

At Frankfurt, Jaguar also revealed its first ever sports crossover concept vehicle – the C-X17 – which has been created as a design study to introduce the all-new aluminium monocoque architecture. The C-X17 concept illustrates the diversity of vehicles that could be produced using the architecture such as the four-seater sports crossover.

JLR says the inherent flexibility of this all-new technology will enable it to not only enter but aggressively compete in new segments, creating new markets for both brands and deliver a wider range of products tailored specifically for customer demand.

It will be the basis on which a range of future Jaguars will be built -- a modular and scalable vehicle architecture which will be high-strength, lightweight and incorporate innovative efficiency technologies.

JLR sales up 28 percent in August on booming China market

Meanwhile, Jaguar Land Rover has announced that it has sold 27,852 vehicles – its best ever August sales performance, an increase of 28 percent over the year-earlier month. Its sales in China and the larger Asia-Pacific market were key growth drivers. For January-August 2013, JLR sold 269,653 vehicles, up 16 percent.

August sales were strong for JLR in the China Region up 43 percent, North America up 40 percent, the UK up 36 percent, Asia Pacific up 35 percent, and other overseas markets up 18 percent.

Sales in Europe fell one percent due in large part to the run out of Range Rover Sport. For the first eight months of 2013, sales were up in all major regions: Asia Pacific up 29 percent, the China Region up 21 percent, North America up 18 percent, the UK up 16 percent, Europe up 5 percent and other overseas markets up 19 percent.

Phil Popham, JLR’s Group Sales Operations director, said: “August has proven to be another incredibly strong month for Jaguar Land Rover with sales growth from both established and new model lines. The Jaguar XJ and XF, the Range Rover Evoque and the Land Rover Freelander are up significantly whilst the new Range Rover and F-Type continue to attract new buyers.”

In August, Jaguar sold 5,405 vehicles, up 92 percent. Together, the XF saloon and Sportbrake were up 91 percent with the XF saloon accounting for almost 50 percent of all Jaguar sales. The XJ saw sales up 50 percent with sales growth in almost all major regions. Jaguar showed strong growth in all of the major regions: the China Region up 278 percent, Europe up 75 percent, North America up 70 percent, the UK up 37 percent, Asia Pacific up 28 percent and other overseas markets up 46 percent.

In August, Land Rover sold 22,447 vehicles, up 18 percent. Strong performances were seen across the new and refreshed line-up particularly from the Evoque and Freelander up 34 percent and 23 percent respectively. Positive performances were recorded in: Asia Pacific (up 37 percent), the UK (up 36 percent), North American (up 31 percent), the China Region (up 25 percent) and other overseas markets (up 15 percent). Sales in Europe fell 11 percent due to Range Rover Sport run out.

Photographs:

Photographs: Jaguar’s first ever sports crossover concept vehicle – the C-X17 – made its debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show yesterday. L-R: Adrian Hallmark - Global Brand Director, Jaguar, Dr Ralf Speth - CEO Jaguar Land Rover, and Ian Callum - Jaguar Design Director.