Recently, Jaguar Land Rover had announced their future plans and investments at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. According to reports, the Land Rover unit is now developing a new entry level SUV for emerging markets like India and China. The new entry level SUV will be positioned under the Freelander, carrying an affordable price tag. Engineering work for the baby SUV is taking place in UK, where both Land Rover and Tata Motors’ engineers are working together. A helping hand from Chery is likely.
According to the British company, it will be the smallest SUV yet from the Land Rover stable and is said to be powered by an all-new diesel engine of around 2.0-litre capacity. The automaker will also be building the new SUV from ground up in India in a new facility for Land Rover. We can expect the manufacturer to price it aggressively, as the components for the new SUV will be sourced locally. The company can expect it to be a volume churner, if priced well. It could compete with entry level SUVs from Audi and BMW (Q3 and X1).
In terms of styling, the baby SUV will feature modern as well as rugged looks and will get inspired from the DC100 concept’s design, which was showcased at the 2012 Auto Expo held in New Delhi. The new model is likely to be the basis of a co-operation including Landr Rover, Tata Motors and Chery. The same platform being developed for the entry level Land Rover could be used to underpin Tata Motors’ future SUVs. Land Rover is betting big for its future and will expand its portfolio by introducing new products in new segments at new price points.
