No more Land Rovers
Discussion
JLR are ditching the ‘Land Rover’ brand according to The Times
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/end-of-the-road...
Jaguar Land Rover is to drop the 75-year-old “Land Rover” brand in a reboot of the automotive giant, which will also include a relaunch of Jaguar as an electric marque whose models will start at £100,000 a time.
More than two years since the heavily loss-making and deeply indebted Jaguar Land Rover launched its “Reimagine” programme to revolutionise the company and plot a path to zero-emission automotive production, the group said it was now also going to reinvent itself as a “house of brands”.
Thierry Bolloré, who launched the programme, left the company at the end of the last year, citing personal reasons. The group has been silent over the progress of Reimagine, leading many to fear the worst for Britain’s largest automotive employer.
It has now decided to drop the Land Rover name — the holding company will become JLR — and it will split itself into four brands: the top-priced Range Rover; the off-road-capable Defender, built in Slovakia; Discovery, planned to be used as a family brand; and Jaguar, which is dropping its entire model line-up and starting again with three new vehicles.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/end-of-the-road...
Jaguar Land Rover is to drop the 75-year-old “Land Rover” brand in a reboot of the automotive giant, which will also include a relaunch of Jaguar as an electric marque whose models will start at £100,000 a time.
More than two years since the heavily loss-making and deeply indebted Jaguar Land Rover launched its “Reimagine” programme to revolutionise the company and plot a path to zero-emission automotive production, the group said it was now also going to reinvent itself as a “house of brands”.
Thierry Bolloré, who launched the programme, left the company at the end of the last year, citing personal reasons. The group has been silent over the progress of Reimagine, leading many to fear the worst for Britain’s largest automotive employer.
It has now decided to drop the Land Rover name — the holding company will become JLR — and it will split itself into four brands: the top-priced Range Rover; the off-road-capable Defender, built in Slovakia; Discovery, planned to be used as a family brand; and Jaguar, which is dropping its entire model line-up and starting again with three new vehicles.
Worked there for years in engineering. I'm honestly shocked by the new announcement - Land Rover (especially RR & RRS) used to prop up the rest of the company in regards to profit and sales. The likes of your Evoque and Disco sport were loss leaders, and anything else was barely profitable.
Really struggle to imagine that people would spend £100k+ on a Jag that will inevitably struggle with quality issues. It's on a brand new platform and JLR aren't exactly known for their HV/Propulsion capabilities.
I've a feeling hydrogen will be on the offing, Zeus was up and running before I left so it'll only be a matter of time - I think EV will just be a stop-gap for them.
I also struggle to imagine that they could easily adapt Castle Brom for EV assembly. Lots of heavy componentry required to be assembled in an outdated plant that doesn't facilitate lifting aids very well.
Watch this space I guess
Really struggle to imagine that people would spend £100k+ on a Jag that will inevitably struggle with quality issues. It's on a brand new platform and JLR aren't exactly known for their HV/Propulsion capabilities.
I've a feeling hydrogen will be on the offing, Zeus was up and running before I left so it'll only be a matter of time - I think EV will just be a stop-gap for them.
I also struggle to imagine that they could easily adapt Castle Brom for EV assembly. Lots of heavy componentry required to be assembled in an outdated plant that doesn't facilitate lifting aids very well.
Watch this space I guess
As the car market opens up more with dozens of new brands from China fighting for market share, "band" and "legacy" become gold dust.
JLR has one of the greatest brands in the automotive world in Land Rover, instant recognition, reputation for capability and in recent years a status symbol.
To drop it entirely shows how little understanding and respect the senior management at JLR have for their customers, they think they can charge a premium for Range Rover badged products, sell Defenders for £100k to people who will never get it muddy and Discovery to families and just ignore the huge number of potential customers buying SUVs from other brands.
It's mind boggling, there are companies who would kill for a nameplate with such cache!
But then, Jaguar had a brilliant EV product to market 6 years ago, bespoke platform, great performance that still competes all these years later and JLR never considered the potential to expand that range? Are you telling me an EV Evoque wouldn't have sold like hot cakes? Think of the demographic of it's buyers. it absolutely would, but JLR sat on the iPace and did nothing, zip, zero
JLR has one of the greatest brands in the automotive world in Land Rover, instant recognition, reputation for capability and in recent years a status symbol.
To drop it entirely shows how little understanding and respect the senior management at JLR have for their customers, they think they can charge a premium for Range Rover badged products, sell Defenders for £100k to people who will never get it muddy and Discovery to families and just ignore the huge number of potential customers buying SUVs from other brands.
It's mind boggling, there are companies who would kill for a nameplate with such cache!
But then, Jaguar had a brilliant EV product to market 6 years ago, bespoke platform, great performance that still competes all these years later and JLR never considered the potential to expand that range? Are you telling me an EV Evoque wouldn't have sold like hot cakes? Think of the demographic of it's buyers. it absolutely would, but JLR sat on the iPace and did nothing, zip, zero
Shrewd move - it's all about the brand after all, and the Land Rover name/brand has pretty much had it's day.
Land Rovers are associated with utility/off-road prowess, and in these environmentally conscious times these are not attributes that a premium manufacturer want to be linked to.
It would be different if JLR were the size of Mercedes and could afford to have a separate commercial division, where they could manufacture and sell lots of utility vehicles.
Best they concentrate on what is doing well for them - manufacturing aspirational lifestyle style vehicles, with enough off-road capability for 99.9% of their buyers.
Land Rovers are associated with utility/off-road prowess, and in these environmentally conscious times these are not attributes that a premium manufacturer want to be linked to.
It would be different if JLR were the size of Mercedes and could afford to have a separate commercial division, where they could manufacture and sell lots of utility vehicles.
Best they concentrate on what is doing well for them - manufacturing aspirational lifestyle style vehicles, with enough off-road capability for 99.9% of their buyers.
CheesecakeRunner said:
That’s the thing, isn’t it? Outside of beard stroking circles, how often do people actually mention Land Rover? They don’t. They talk about Range Rover. For all the cars.
Around here, there are more Land Rovers than Range Rovers. (But still behind Japanese pick-ups)But what do people call them?
I bet they either call them Discovery, Defender, or Range Rover.
Just like every vacuum is a Hoover.
I think people are misunderstanding the press release a bit. JLR aren’t saying they’re going to make fewer cars, in fact is says they’re going to make more. They just going to drop one brand name that virtually nobody uses.
I bet they either call them Discovery, Defender, or Range Rover.
Just like every vacuum is a Hoover.
I think people are misunderstanding the press release a bit. JLR aren’t saying they’re going to make fewer cars, in fact is says they’re going to make more. They just going to drop one brand name that virtually nobody uses.
I don't see the problem at all with this; outside of car nerds and famers, Land Rover's are often called 'Jeeps' anyway! 
Toyota have Land Cruiser
JLR have Defender.
Jeep have Wrangler.
No need for the brand name Land Rover. It's dated. The current Defender is not the same utility vehicle the original LR was.
The UK Market isn't the sole focus, the Global ambitions of JLR need to be considered in their strategy and JLR's Marketing will be looking for at the US and China; Defender to Americans sounds a lot better than LR!
Toyota have Land Cruiser
JLR have Defender.
Jeep have Wrangler.
No need for the brand name Land Rover. It's dated. The current Defender is not the same utility vehicle the original LR was.
The UK Market isn't the sole focus, the Global ambitions of JLR need to be considered in their strategy and JLR's Marketing will be looking for at the US and China; Defender to Americans sounds a lot better than LR!
A bit of a shame to lose the Land Rover tag but I can see the logic.
Interested to see what these Jags are going to be be. To differentiate themselves from the -no longer Land Rover- products, you'd wonder if they're going to be something other than SUV's. Saloons, high end Coupes, GT's etc but those seem to be ever dying markets to relaunch yourself into. From what I see on the roads, Jag have really only shifted SUV's in recent years, at least in the UK. If they stick to SUV's, I cannot see any obvious reason why people will buy them over a RR. Surely the £100k+ SUV market is more or less RR's bread and butter.
Interested to see what these Jags are going to be be. To differentiate themselves from the -no longer Land Rover- products, you'd wonder if they're going to be something other than SUV's. Saloons, high end Coupes, GT's etc but those seem to be ever dying markets to relaunch yourself into. From what I see on the roads, Jag have really only shifted SUV's in recent years, at least in the UK. If they stick to SUV's, I cannot see any obvious reason why people will buy them over a RR. Surely the £100k+ SUV market is more or less RR's bread and butter.
In the new Electric world, I can see where they are going and it sort of makes sense if you factor in the competition at the lower price point mass volume segment.
Moving up the ladder to a high margin, high prestige, low volume lean supply chain & manufacturing model means they need well defined products that can be profitable on their own as an individual line.
So something like the below model listing with clear target markets
JLR Defender - 90, 110, 130, Commercial - rough n tough image
JLR Discovery - Evoque, Discovery - Family SUV
JLR Range Rover - Sports, Autobiography - posh money image
JLR Jaguar - GT, Exec, Sovereign - Successful Business image
Simple for platform sharing, manufacturing, product separation and pricing without cannibalisation.
Hopefully it works in the new Electric era!
Moving up the ladder to a high margin, high prestige, low volume lean supply chain & manufacturing model means they need well defined products that can be profitable on their own as an individual line.
So something like the below model listing with clear target markets
JLR Defender - 90, 110, 130, Commercial - rough n tough image
JLR Discovery - Evoque, Discovery - Family SUV
JLR Range Rover - Sports, Autobiography - posh money image
JLR Jaguar - GT, Exec, Sovereign - Successful Business image
Simple for platform sharing, manufacturing, product separation and pricing without cannibalisation.
Hopefully it works in the new Electric era!
- Edited to add Discovery line
Edited by bobbylondonuk on Thursday 20th April 09:48
Edited by bobbylondonuk on Thursday 20th April 09:49
Jaguar are screwed. For a while, autocar have been commenting on the JLR decision to go full electric in a few years and basically just hope people still remember the brand, whilst also hoping that BMW/Mercedes/Audi/Porsche (to say nothing of Tesla and Polestar) don’t sew up that market completely. Who is going to choose an electric Jag over that competition?
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