Tata Motors will renew Jaguar Land Rover's Freelander
20 Jun 2024 CW Team
Ten years after it was abandoned, Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover Automotive is reintroducing the iconic four-wheel-drive Freelander as an electric model, specifically for the Chinese market. Tata Motors intends to revive the Freelander as an electric vehicle in an effort to accelerate its journey towards electric car profitability.
Jaguar Land Rover has partnered with Chery Automobile Co. to develop a new range of electric vehicles (EVs) and license the Freelander brand. This project will be managed by their joint venture, CJLR, which will utilise Chery's production facilities and manufacturing expertise. Jaguar Land Rover wants to take a bigger share of the largest automobile market in the world. In addition to this new electric project, CJLR will keep creating a variety of cars powered by gasoline.
Prominent domestic enterprises in China encompass BYD Co. and Great Wall Motor Co., whose advanced electric and hybrid automobiles satisfy the growing need for outdoor pursuits. China will be the first market for the new Freelander, which will first be produced in Changshu with the goal of exporting to other nations. The companies have not yet revealed the start date of Freelander's production. JLR originally introduced the Freelander brand in 1997, and it was produced up until 2015. It was replaced in 2016 by the Discovery Sport.
JLR intends to shortly begin domestically building its Range Rover and Range Rover Sport in India. JLR's sales growth in FY24 increased by 81% to 4,436 units from FY23. The automaker hopes to double its sales.
Tata Motors surpassed Street expectations in Q4 FY24 with a more than threefold rise in net profit, driven by strong results across all three of its business verticals. Tata Motors' net profit climbed to Rs 175 billion in Q4 FY24 from Rs 54.96 billion the year before. Profit was boosted by a deferred tax credit of Rs 95 billion.Tata Motors' CFO, P.B. Balaji, told ET that he expects the demand for JLR business to stay steady in FY25. But he did warn that JLR is under increasing pressure in the UK market and that this has to be addressed. It expects the US market to continue expanding.
Tata intends to bring EVs into the mainstream in India by releasing three new models in FY25: the Curvv.ev, Harrier.ev, and Sierra.ev.