News that Jaguar and Land Rover won’t exhibit at this year’s North American International Auto Show can be taken as a sign of the diminished importance the Detroit show now plays on the global stage.

There’s more to this story, however, as the reason the two luxury brands will be absent is due to a conflicting schedule with the Auto Expo show in New Delhi, India. While India’s importance as an emerging market can’t be downplayed, the decision has less to do with growing economies and more to do with the fact that JLR parent company Tata Motors, is from India.

In addition, JLR has little new to show a western audience, having already revealed the Jaguar C-X16 and Land Rover DC100 concepts, first at the Frankfurt Motor Show and then at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

JLR has confirmed that executives will still be cruising the show floor. After all, the Range Rover Evoque is on the shortlist for the 2012 Truck of the Year.

[Source: AutoNews]

See AutoGuide’s complete 2012 Detroit Auto Show Preview here

Some used to say that Southern California was just about the only place in the world where it was truly practical to drive a British sports car.

Lack of rain meant Lord Lucas, the celebrated “Prince of Darkness” (an ailment related to the Lucas-brand electrical systems used on British cars) rarely struck, while the temperate climate almost never required the services of near useless heaters and leaky convertible tops. Additionally, dry conditions and twisty canyon  roads just begged for a bit of enthusiastic motoring,  an aspect, which when working well, such machines as Jaguar XK-Es and Austin-Healeys were able to deliver in spades.

Today, British sports cars tend to be a lot more reliable and leak free, as well as considerably faster and even better handling than those machines of yore. Nonetheless, So Cal is still considered to be their spiritual home. As a result, if a company like Jaguar is going to unveil a car with a ridiculous beast of an engine and a convertible top, it makes sense to do it at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

As Jaguar’s global brand director, Adrian Hallmark stated, the XKR-S convertible sacrifices none of the performance of its coupe counterpart and indeed, development mules spent hours and hours being flogged around the Nürburgring. Having sampled the regular XKR ragtop and the XKR-S coupe, we can only wonder the sensation 550 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque can do in an open top car that boasts a rigid, lightweight aluminum architecture, retuned suspension and steering, plus an upgraded Adaptive Dynamics system compared with the standard R.

Jag claims the flagship XKR-S convertible can sprint from rest to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and will go on to  an (electronically limited) top speed of 186 mph. That makes it the fastest open top Jaguar ever built and also one of the most exclusive (Jaguar has said it plans to allocate just 25 examples to the US market for 2012). So if you want one as desperately as we do, better try and get your order in as soon as possible (the coupe version is already sold out).

Besides the ragtop XKR-S, Jaguar also chose Los Angeles as the North American debut for the C-X16 concept, which has been making waves since first being revealed back at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Whether or more likely when, a version of this two-seat gas electric hybrid stunner will reach production still remains to be seen, though we probably shouldn’t rule out the possibility of examples sitting in Jaguar showrooms before the second half of this decade begins.

Gallery: Jaguar XKR-S Convertible

Gallery: Jaguar C-X16 Concept

Despite these uncertain economic times, some luxury car makers have made healthy sales gains in recent months, particularly Land Rover. Along with sister company Jaguar, which had been languishing behind somewhat, the JLR group collectively boasted a 26 percent gain in global sales last month.

Much of the increase came from Jaguar, which saw demand rise by a whopping 157 percent in China, Land Rover, by comparison, reported gains of 85 percent in the same market.

In Europe, demand for both brands was up by some 37 percent, largely fueled by strong demand for new Range Rover Evoque and Jaguar XF diesel.

In North America, where Jaguar Land Rover has been struggling recently, September represented a refreshing turn of events, with demand up by some 10 percent, largely aided by the XF, which is proving quite popular with buyers here.

Phil Popham, Group Sales Director for Jaguar Land Rover went on the record stating that [2011] “has been our strongest September since 2007 when the industry was hit hard by the recession. Since that time we have introduced a host of new models and engines that has driven sales growth and attracted new consumers to our brands.”

It’s nice to know there’s at least some bright spots in an era seemingly dominated by much doom and gloom.

And it promises to be the most radical example of the breed yet, according to inside sources within Jaguar Land Rover.

In addition, in terms of styling it’s also believed to look a lot more like the Evoque than the current Mk 3 Range Rover, boasting a steeper windshield angle and more pronounced creases in the flanks, unlike its predecessor, which is loosely based on the 1970 original in terms of design cues.

Codenamed L405, it will also be larger than the current model, but also significantly lighter, thanks to the use of a pressed aluminum unibody structure, which should save almost half a metric tonne (1100 lbs) in weight. The new architecture will also result in a longer wheelbase, by pushing the rear axle back, resulting in improved back seat legroom, enabling the new Rover  to rival upscale, long wheelbase luxury sedans.

In addition, interior quality is expected to take a considerable jump, with emphasis placed on rivaling ultra luxury marques like Bentley, rather appropriate considering that the new Rover will cost more than £100,000 (roughly $160,000) when it eventually does go on sale.

In terms of engines, despite other luxury manufacturers downsizing or turbocharging their offerings, the new Range Rover is expected to retain normally aspirated and supercharged gasoline fueled V8s, though in some markets, especially Europe a diesel will be offered. There’s also rumors of V6s making the cut, including a supercharged version, derived from that seen in Jaguar’s CX-16 concept two-seater, unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show last month. There’s even talk of a gas/electric hybrid version, though it will be interesting to see if that does indeed, reach fruition.

In terms of getting ready to build the thing, Jaguar Land Rover will invest heavily in re-vamping its Solihull, West Midlands assembly plant, particularly to cope with the demands of manufacturing the unique aluminum structure.

[Source: Autocar]

Jaguar Land Rover has announced that it will be spending some £400 million (approximately $640 million) on developing a new engine plant in India.

The facility, which will be located in Pune, close to existing Tata operations, will produce modular four-cylinder engines and is said to be a virtual ‘carbon copy’ of the company’s new engine plant being set up in the West Midlands, UK.

Both facilities have been conceived so that Jaguar Land Rover can replace, as quickly as possible the four-cylinder gasoline and turbo diesel engines it currently sources from Ford Motor Company, which have proven to be relatively expensive.

Jaguar says that work on the new Indian plant won’t begin until the West Midlands operation is fully up and running, but said that once operations are in full swing; both plants together will have capacity to produce as many as 500,000 engines per year, which will help satisfy growing demand; particularly in China where Jaguar Land Rover already has a local assembly operation.

As for Jaguar’s other engines, namely it’s V-6 and V-8 gas and diesel units, these will continue to be sourced from Ford at Dagenham, Essex, UK, at least for the time being.

[Source: Autocar]

Jaguar has some ambitious plans to work alongside its sibling Land Rover brand. The two brands will be launching major production over the next five years with the goal of boosting Jaguar and Land Rover out of their markets and lifting them firmly into the luxury mainstream.

“We’ll be launching 40 new cars, derivatives and (major) technologies from Jaguar/Land Rover in the next five years,” said Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar Global Brand Director.

New programs break down into three categories:

• *Products that slot above and below the current Jaguar and Land Rover line-up, as well as those that expand the current line-up’s appeal;
• *Products that can broaden the two brands in markets where they currently don’t have a presence;
• *Technologies that broaden the capabilities of the two brands  — possibly including new diesels, hybrids and other advanced propulsion systems.

Hallmark also confirmed the new entry-luxury model that will slip in below the current XF model as well as a higher end crossover, targeting the BMW X5 and Audi Q7. A replacement of the disliked X-Type is essential. Hallmark explained that “That segment is massive.” It is likely that fitting into that sedan segment could become “the most important piece” of Jaguar’s planned product expansion. There is also a strong possibility of a smaller crossover to enter Jaguars lineup, although, “We will not overlap” said Dr. Ralf Speth, Jaguar and Land Rover CEO.

Electric cars do have a place in Jaguar’s future product portfolio, however company officials were vague on specifics. Speth alluded to pure, battery-powered models “are not the only way to go,” suggesting more conventional hybrids and plug-ins are a more likely focus.

[Source: thedetroitbureau.com]

It’s been around in current form since 1983, but the rugged go-anywhere Land Rover Defender can trace its lineage directly back to the first one the company ever built  in 1948. Beloved of the British military, farmers, ranchers and explorers the world over, it’s a true icon.

However, there are now rumors circulating that Jaguar Land Rover plans to give the old warrior a serious makeover. No details have been released, or even leaked, though apparently the JLR group is intensively studying what needs to be done before proceeding with development on the ‘next-generation,’ Defender.

Hopefully whatever is decided, the result will stay true to the vehicle’s rugged, practical persona, with short and long wheelbase variants  being retained as well as retaining a chassis highly adaptable  for different needs (a part of the current model’s enduring appeal).

A concept study is likely to emerge sometime around 2013, with the projected introduction of the actual ‘new’ Defender to follow a couple of years later. In the meantime, if  you happen to live outside North America, you can still get your hands on a current Defender and take it places like this.

It’s sometimes hard to believe anything you hear in the news these days. With countries still looking for bailout money (Portugal being the latest) and others struggling to climb out of recession, it would appear that austerity measures are still the norm, rather than the exception.

On the other hand, sales for some luxury goods and services, seem to be on the rise. Take the case of Jaguar Land Rover. On April 6th, the company reported that March 2011 was its best ever sales month with global growth up by some 6 percent over last year.

Much of that increase in demand came, not surprisingly, from China and India, though the UK, North America, parts of Europe and Russia also reported significant gains in vehicle sales.

Naturally Jaguar Land Rover was pleased with the results; Group Sales Operations Director Phil Popham stating that “Despite a challenging business environment, Jaguar Land Rover is flourishing on a global scale with March sales reflecting the confidence consumers have in our brands and products. We have ambitious plans to grow our business and it is clear that there is a strong appetite in the market for exciting new products, powertrains and technologies which will further improve our penetration in key markets and segments.”

Indeed. Although the global sales increase may seem by a fairly small amount; some individual markets, such as Russia for Land Rover and Germany for Jaguar; reported sales gains of almost 50 percent for the month of March. In lean economic times, that’s a sign of strong brand equity.

Jaguar and Land Rover are in talks with Chinese carmaker Great Wall over a potential manufacturing partnership in China, according to two executives from Great Wall.

While nothing is certain at this stage, what’s clear is that Jaguar and Land Rover are two internationally-recognized brands that do not have any manufacturing presence in China, one of the world’s largest markets and a major source of sales for the two brands. Meanwhile, competitors Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW have all found partners in China, leaving parent company Tata Motors alone at the prom.

“The two companies are exploring opportunities for a cooperative effort. Senior executives of Jaguar and Land Rover came over and visited our plant earlier this month,” said the executives. “It’s fair to say that contacts between the two parties have already passed the initial stage, but no final decision has been reached so far.”

After Jaguar and Land Rover lost money during their messy sale to Tata, the Chinese market helped turn them around to the tune of approx. $434 million in profits in the last quarters of 2008. The market was the fastest-growing for the company in 2010, with a staggering increase of 95 percent. With these results, it’s only logical that Jaguar and Land Rover will seek to solidify their growth in the Chinese luxury segment while Great Wall builds mass-produced sedans and trucks.

[Sources: Automotive News, Reuters]

Five consecutive quarters of being “in the black” has paid off for Jaguar Land Rover. The luxury automaker is set to make over a billion pounds in profit ($1.6 billion) after strong sales around the world, especially in Asia.

In the last three months of 2010, the company netted a record profit of $440 million. Just a year ago, in the same quarter, Jaguar Land Rover made “only” $88 million. In America the company announced a 48% and 16% increase in growth for Jaguar and Land Rover, respectively. It’s also been a long time since 2009, when JLR was nearly forced to seek a bailout from the U.K. government. This impressive increase reflects the turnaround that the company has made since it was sold off by Ford to Tata Motors; think Alan Mulally is kicking himself over in Dearborn?

To reflect this growth and keep its momentum, JLR will increase production from 232,000 vehicles a year to over 300,000, as well as hire new engineers around the world.

[Source: The Telegraph]

Ask any auto manufacturer and they will say that one of the most important car markets at the moment is China. With their population and economic growth, China is now one of the largest car markets in the world, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

Want proof? Jaguar and Land Rover have decided to open another 40 dealerships in China this year, bringing the total number to 100.

Jaguar/Land Rover opened a flagship store in Beijing last month, and expects to sell 400 vehicles a year from this facility. Another new showroom in the city of Tianjin has also opened doors, and should move about 200 vehicles a year.

In 2010, Jaguar/Land Rover sales doubled in China, with Jaguar moving 2700 vehicles, while Land Rover moved an astonishing 23,500 vehicles, suggesting SUV’s are the preferred mode of transport for the rich.

(Source: Autocar)

Earlier this week both the United Kingdom and China signed business deals reported to be worth around 2.6 billion pounds ($4 billion). A part of those deals included arrangements to sell more Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles in China.

Jaguar Land Rover, which is currently a unit of the Indian conglomerate Tata Corp, has committed to sell around 40,000 vehicles in the world’s largest auto market, in a deal alone worth 1 billion pounds ($1.53 billion).

The deals were signed after a visit to Britain by China’s vice premier Li Keqiang. Other large deals were also announced following the VP’s visits to Spain and Germany.

The Jaguar Land Rover deal, according to that firm’s CEO Ralf Speth, “not only signals the acceleration of our growth plans but also reflects both the importance of the Chinese market to Jaguar Land Rover and our value to the UK economy.”

Jaguar-Land Rover currently has three manufacturing plants in the United Kingdom, one in Halewood, Liverpool (a former Ford factory) and two in the West Midlands, Castle Bromwich and Solihull.

The current British Government , despite enacting austerity measures to stimulate economic recovery, including major slashes in public spending, hopes that the China deal will help spur growth at home.

[Source: Reuters]