Tata’s JLR unit targets the ultra-rich
Jaguar Land Rover will build its largest and most expensive Range Rover as the British luxury carmaker looks to continue leveraging strong sales growth in emerging markets. The company’s first long-wheelbase sport utility vehicle for two decades marks a significant move to cater to wealthy, chauffeur-driven customers in places such as China, Russia and the Middle East – key growth markets for the resurgent brand. The ultra-rich in China and other emerging markets have become crucial targets for global luxury carmakers hungry for growth outside of Europe and the US, with manufacturers such as Mercedes, Audi and BMW developing longer, more luxurious limousine-style variants of their western models. Boasting airline-style seats with inbuilt muscle massagers, leather tables and a champagne chiller, the car is expected to cost more than £130,000, about twice the price of an entry-level Range Rover. JLR, which has been revitalised since being bought by India’s Tata Motors in 2008, has almost doubled its global sales in the past three years thanks mainly to demand outside its traditional British, US and European markets. The launch of the car, which will be built from lightweight aluminium at JLR’s factory in Solihull in the West Midlands, comes six weeks after the company unveiled a concept Jaguar SUV in a move seen further expanding its portfolio targeting emerging markets. Newly-minted millionaires in developing countries such as China and India have turbocharged the global luxury market and forced some manufacturers to shift their focus from high-performance models to more luxurious and opulent features. BMW, Mercedes and Audi all offer extended versions of their flagship sedan models in China, offering extra legroom in the rear seats for owners who are typically ferried round by chauffeurs. The shifting market demands have prompted luxury carmakers to move into segments typically dominated by rivals and dilute their traditional branding areas. The extended Range Rover puts JLR in a limousine market traditionally controlled by the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley, while the trend towards SUVs has seen traditional sports car brands such as Porsche and Lamborghini tackle a segment previously reserved for the likes of Land Rover. Phil Popham, JLR group marketing director, said: "With the addition of the Range Rover long wheelbase to our portfolio of luxury SUVs, customers can now choose a vehicle that offers superior levels of interior space and comfort to compete in a market dominated by saloon cars up until this point." The new Range Rover will be officially unveiled at the Los Angeles and Guangzhou motor shows at the end of November and go on sale in March next year.