Jaguar Land Rover, owned by Tata Motors of India, continues its UK manufacturing success with ever-higher global sales of luxury autos and rovers. During the first quarter of 2013, the company sold more vehicles than it has ever sold in any three-month period. It did especially well in Brazil, increasing sales by more than 135% as newly-affluent consumers trade up to the status and quality of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles. With sales in Asia continuing to increase year by year, the company is also opening a fourth regional office in Singapore to support marketing and distribution initiatives throughout the area.
In addition to the three UK factories, Jaguar Land Rover is working on a factory in China (with local auto company Chery) and plans a new plant in Brazil once all regulatory issues are resolved. It is also analysing the possibility of manufacturing in India. Where the vehicles are manufactured makes a difference in how Jaguar Land Rover prices them and how much it costs to transport them to dealerships in targeted countries--in other words, these decisions affect the profit margin it earns on each vehicle and product range.
This year Jaguar Land Rover is investing £3 billion in new product development. The firm has done extremely well with its new Range Rover Evoque, and is examining opportunities for developing new SUVs (although no details are being released at this early stage). However, the SUV market is mature and highly competitive, with established firms already enjoying customer loyalty. What does this mean for Jaguar Land Rover's marketing plans and the new models it is developing for introduction in 2015 and beyond?
