JLR to work closer with Tata Group, lays out new ‘Reimagine Strategy’ of electric cars

PTI, Feb 15, 2021, 8:29 PM IST

London: Thierry Bollore, the new chief executive of Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), on Monday laid out his vision for the luxury carmaker, including plans to turn the Jaguar brand electric-only by 2025 and working closely with Tata Group companies.

The company’s ‘Reimagine Strategy’ centres around the electrification of both Land Rover and Jaguar brands, on separate architectures with two clear and unique personalities.

It will involve curating closer collaboration and knowledge-sharing with Tata Group companies, to enhance sustainability and reduce emissions as well as sharing best practice in next-generation technology, data and software development leadership.

“We have so many ingredients from within. It is a unique opportunity. Others have to rely solely on external partnerships and compromise, but we have frictionless access that will allow us to lean forward with confidence and at speed,” said Bollore, formerly with France’s Renault carmaker.

Jaguar Land Rover has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Motors, in which Tata Sons is the largest shareholder, since 2008.

“The Reimagine strategy takes Jaguar Land Rover on a significant path of acceleration in harmony with the vision and sustainability priorities of the wider Tata Group. Together, we will help Jaguar realise its potential, reinforce Land Rover’s timeless appeal and collectively become a symbol of a truly responsible business for its customers, society and the planet,” said N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, Tata Motors and Jaguar Land Rover Automotive.

JLR has set its mission to be one of the most profitable and sustainable luxury manufacturers in the world.

Jaguar and Land Rover will offer pure electric power, nameplate by nameplate, by 2030. By this time, in addition to 100 per cent of Jaguar sales, it is anticipated that around 60 per cent of Land Rovers sold will be equipped with zero tailpipe powertrains.

“Jaguar Land Rover is unique in the global automotive industry. Designers of peerless models, an unrivalled understanding of the future luxury needs of its customers, emotionally rich brand equity, a spirit of Britishness and unrivalled access to leading global players in technology and sustainability within the wider Tata Group,” said Bollore.

“We are harnessing those ingredients today to reimagine the business, the two brands and the customer experience of tomorrow. The ‘Reimagine Strategy’ allows us to enhance and celebrate that uniqueness like never before. Together, we can design an even more sustainable and positive impact on the world around us,” he said.

The company is also preparing for the expected adoption of clean fuel-cell power in line with a maturing of the hydrogen economy. Development is already underway with prototypes arriving on UK roads within the next 12 months as part of the long-term investment programme.

Sustainability that delivers a new benchmark in environmental and societal impact for the luxury sector is fundamental to the success of Reimagine, the UK-headquartered automotive major said.

A new centralised team will be empowered to build on and accelerate pioneering innovations in materiality, engineering, manufacturing, services and circular economy investments.

Annual commitments of GBP 2.5 billion will include investments in electrification technologies and the development of connected services to enhance the journey and experiences of customers, alongside data-centric technologies that will further improve their ownership ecosystem.

It also comes as good news for UK manufacturing, as the strategy means Jaguar Land Rover will retain its plant and assembly facilities in the home UK market and around the world.

As well as being the manufacturer of the Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) architecture, Solihull, West Midlands will also be the home to the future advanced Jaguar pure electric platform.