When Ford let Jaguar-Land Rover go, the betting odds on Tata’s prospects with the perpetually-mired firm were not exactly in its favour. Now it seems that Tata might have bought low, as JLR starts to turn a corner. The Liverpool Daily Post reports that the Jaguar-Land Rover group, owned by Tata Motors, had worldwide sales rise 30% last month. Wholesale and retail sales both showed strong growth. A spokesman said: “Despite the continuing economic uncertainty, we are seeing improved economic stability in most markets, especially the UK and China.”
Land Rover sold 13140 vehicles to end customers, up 26.9% from November 2008 and Jaguar sold 4,389 vehicles, up 16.7%. However, for the year to date, Jaguar retail sales were down 23.8% and Land Rover was down too at 26.2%. But could this be the start of a better future? Sales of the XF are brisk, the new XJ is receiving good reviews, the X-Type has been euthanised, a new “baby” Land Rover will create 800 new jobs and sales are good in China, a key player in the global economy. Looks like it’s not time to write Jaguar-Land Rover off, just yet.
Ford still made the right move selling them off. Unfortunately they (or should I say Nasser) made the wrong move years ago buying them.
Funny part about it is Jaguar’s new XF and XJ were developed under Ford. I hope that Jaguar itself has personnel capable of running the brand in the future. If that’s the case they should remain viable.
Who would have guest that year to date sales numbers are down. Trulys urprising for a brand which isn’t big in China
Lot of armchair quarterbacks suggested Rata Tata was an idiot to buy LR/J. Good to know they admit that they stand corrected.
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/tata-defends-jlr-acquisition/
“I hate to break it to him, Jaguar Land Rover wasn’t a house in Belgravia, but a flat in Moss Side. But despite the toxicity of Jaguar Land Rover which is apparent to everyone except Ratan Tata”
Don’t take this article out of context. Whilst JLR are boasting a sales increase, they are still down overall. They still have an uphill battle.
Trust me, when I say this: I WANT to be proven wrong. I love Jaguar.
+1 to the above comentator who said that current Jags and LRs were developed under Ford stewardship. So were the previous generations not so successful offerings. My take is the when Ford finally learned how to do them right, they sold it. And Tata is just collecting the profits.
So Ford lost when they sold them, and the future w/ Tata is a huge question mark. These brands have life and meaning. As opposed to say Gm’s brands. They’re global players (known worldwide).
So no, Ford lost by selling them. But the future is vey murky.
Was it Ford management that was responsible for the retro S-type and ’04 XJ that looked identical to the car it replaced, or Jaguar management? I know the default is to blame Ford for all of Jag’s problems, but I think they did a lot of damage to themselves by stubbornly refusing to modernize their designs until it was more than clear that they were headed to oblivion.
If Jag is to have a future, they seriously need to get their quality under control. The XF seems to be about as reliable as a BL Jag.
Ford has owned Jag since the mid eighties or so.
Or so. Actually it’s 1990. They offered to buy in Nov 1989 and it was a fait accompli by Feb 1990. They owned it for 18 years.
As opposed to Great Britain, Tata’s home country still educates the occasional engineer. Who still end up driving on “roads” benefitting from some ground clearance and suspension articulation. I can’t help but hope Tata has enough confidence in his countrymen, to allow them to influence the development of future Land Rover products.
Under Ford ownership the S type was left on the market for far too long letting sales dwindle to almost nothing and the XJ was completely redesigned but barely had any appearance differentiation from the previous model, a huge mistake that resulted in dismal sales of that model. IMO Ford just made the same mistake with the 2010 Mustang which is also all new body panels except the roof and barely looks any different than the previous model. As far as leaving models unchanged on the market for far too long Lincoln is probably the poster boy for it. Ford has proven beyond a doubt they are completely clueless running a luxury brand despite their successes in other areas. Is it really that hard to figure out styling needs to be updated on a regular cycle for any vehicle let alone a luxury one? Apparently for Ford it is.
With Jeep dying a slow death under Chrysler – Fiat, maybe Tata can take manufacture and engineering of the Land Rover out of the UK and improve quality. They surely would take some market share.
I hear that lots of brand new Wrangler auto gearboxes are catching fire in China. Even a few in the US.
The difference between Ford and Tata is that Ford is old and tired, its arteries are clogged, bones ossified. Tata is young and full of enthusiasm coupled with a vision and faith in the future. In the end it may or may succeed but it won’t be for the lack of trying. JLR with Ford would die a sure death of old age with Tata it may be be reborn.
The reason they are making money is the devaluation of the pound sterling. The only times in recent history that either J or LR had made money is related to this and that will only last as long as england has to issue massive debt, once global finance comes back (taxes) and debt issuance drops, pound will rise, profitability will dissappear again . Long term, you can probably manufacture the Range Rover and XJ cars in England, but everything else needs to be moved.