Jaguar Land Rover CEO has stated that a plant in India is not on the anvil right now and the company is coming up with new exciting products.
Jaguar Land Rover might be having a lot of expansion plans but the company is not intending to open a new plant in India. JLR CEO Ralf Speth stated at the Frankfurt Motor Show that the Indian market doesn’t generate a lot of volumes and hence it doesn’t justify to build a plant here. In the luxury segment, Mercedes, Audi and BMW have their plants in India while Volvo and Jaguar Land Rover (use a Tata Motors facility) do not have one. Speth said that if the luxury market over here becomes as big as the Chinese luxury market, only then will they consider setting up a plant here.
Audi, BMW and Mercedes are generating a lot more sales than Jaguar Land Rover but the company doesn’t seem to be worried because they feel that they are catering to a very niche audience and hence they are doing well in the segments that they are positioned in. However, the CEO is grateful that Tata Motors bought out both the brands and helped them resurface properly. After the 2009-10 recession, it was Ratan Tata who helped the company restructure their policies, improve efficiency and achieve growth. Since 2010, the automaker has doubled its sales and workforce and trebled its sales.
This year at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the company hit a new milestone by showcasing Jaguar’s first ever SUV, the F-Pace. The SUV was showcased to motoring journalists using a roller-coaster stunt. Speth stated that they have a sensational line-up of new products which will also be big on technology. “We have hands free, feet free and soon mind free. For our customers, who love driving, the off button is essential and that’s what we focus on in terms of design and driving pleasure,” he said
