Currently reading: Land Rover's new model blitz
Land Rover boss tells Autocar the firm will expand into new market sectors; production could shift

Land Rover has "tremendous growth potential" Tata Motors boss Carl-Peter Forster told the SMMT annual conference in London last week.

Forster said the company needs to fill more market sectors and could possibly start building cars outside of the UK.

Full story, plus pics, on the new Range Rover Evoque

He added that Tata Motors, Jaguar Land Rover’s parent, will also need to embark on a new-model blitz that would not only see more models joining the Evoque but existing ones being overhauled with smaller petrol and diesel engines and hybrid power.

The overhaul will likely increase the amount of component sharing between Tata, Jaguar and Land Rover. For example, the next Range Rover, due in 2013, is likely to be based on a similar aluminium structure to the current Jaguar XJ’s.

Forster revealed that as part of JLR’s growth plans, the company would be recruiting 1700 engineers, 50 per cent more than the current number.

He also admitted that he was undertaking a review of the company’s manufacturing structure that could lead to Land Rovers and Jaguars being built in India or China.

But he remains convinced that JLR will not migrate its engineering base and that all Land Rovers and Jaguars will still be conceived in the UK. “We’re not going to be engineering the next XJ in India,” he said.

Chas Hallett

See all the latest Land Rover reviews, news and video

Advertisement

Latest business news

99 bmw ix vs mercedes eqs 2022 lead 0 0
From 2024, 22% of a car maker's sales must be BEVs – or it faces a £15,000 fine for every car that does not conform
Editor's letter: EV sales must increase by 50% in 2024 – how?
93 ev charger suppliers under scrutiny podpoint
PodPoint recently switched focus from fast public devices to home and workplace charging
EV charger companies switch tactics in search for elusive profits
Volvo car charging
From 2024, car makers will need to show that 45% of an EV's value originated in the UK or EU to remain tariff-free
EU proposes three-year delay to UK rules of origin tariffs
geneva motor show floor 2018
The Geneva motor show hasn't been held since 2019, due to the pandemic and its after-effects
Geneva motor show 2024: MG confirmed and BYD likely
Add a comment…