Section: Land Rover
Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 30th, 2008 2:00 PM
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Everyone’s favorite British off-road brand, Land Rover, celebrates its 60th birthday today. The company has come a long way from war wagons, to icons of social status, to a new chapter under Indian owners. We thought we’d help kick off the diamond anniversary party for the storied marque with a few gratuitous Landie galleries. Enjoy them below!
Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 24th, 2008 11:00 AM
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Ford cleared one major hurdle in completing its sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to Indian automaker Tata on Wednesday, receiving the go-ahead from U.S. government antitrust officials.
Authorities from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said in a notice on Wednesday that they had completed a review of the $2.3 billion dollar deal and had no plans to take actions to block the move.
This latest small victory over the mass of legislative red tape will help to put Tata on a path to be a builder of among the most diverse portfolios of vehicles on the planet. Tata officially announced that it would be buying Land Rover and Jag last month.
A smattering from the future Tata empire in the galleries below.
+ Automotive News: TATA GETS US ANTITRUST OK FOR JAGUAR, LAND ROVER (subscription required)
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 21st, 2008 8:00 AM
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60-year-old Geoff Polites, CEO of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, passed away on Saturday in his home country of Australia. Reports indicate that he had been battling a serious illness for two years.
A decades-long veteran of the auto industry, Polites took the helm at Jaguar Land Rover in 2005, helping to steer the brands back to profitability and through their recent sale to Tata Motors. Polites was expected to stay on with the automakers when the sale is finalized in June.
Ford Motor Company’s Alan Mulally called Polites “a real inspiration to us all,” going on to say “His drive and determination, combined with his clear sense of vision for the business, played a huge role in turning round the business at Jaguar Land Rover and returning it to profitability.”
Land Rover’s CFO, David Smith, will take the position of acting CEO until a successor is named at Jaguar Land Rover.
(Click through the jump to read Ford’s press release.)
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Written By: Kimberly A. Ewing
April 16th, 2008 8:00 AM
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Our LR2 HSE model had just over 3000 miles on the odometer when it arrived in our fleet, and it was already showing signs of wear. The cover over the driver’s side door handle is supposed to come off in case you need to use the key, but it fell off of our test car and would not go back. We’ve had some problems with build quality on past Land Rovers, and it seems this still hasn’t been completely resolved.
The new LR2 is beautiful, though. This new HSE model features a sportier look due to body-color bumpers and side sills, a rear spoiler, titanium door handles, and nineteen-inch alloy wheels.
(Click through the jump to read the rest of this review and click the images below to open a gallery.)
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 3rd, 2008 1:00 PM
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Tata Motors is apparently moving right ahead in its plans for newly acquired Jaguar and Land Rover. The Indian automaker is said to have already green-lighted the funds needed for each brand to start on a new project.
For Jaguar that means that a Porsche 911-fighting sports car could be on its way down the pipe. The car, which is known within the company as either the XE or F-Type, has been a possibility for a while now, but languished under Ford ownership because of its possible competitiveness with Aston Martin.
Land Rover meanwhile is expected to get the go-ahead on its LRX project, with reports specifying that the SUV will be built in the UK. Both projects are tentatively planned to hit the market by around 2012.
(Have a look at the Land Rover LRX in our gallery below.)
+ Autoblog: REPORT: Tata green-lights LRX and Jag sportscar
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Seyth Miersma
March 26th, 2008 9:00 AM
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After months of speculation, posturing, and negotiation, Ford has confirmed the sale of British brands Jaguar and Land Rover to Indian automaker Tata Motors today.
The much-guessed at final purchase price for the two historic marques has been settled at $2.3 billion, though Ford has agreed to infuse attendant pension funds with an additional $600 million when the deal fully closes early this summer. Regulatory approvals are all that are needed to finalize the sale.
(Click through the jump to read on or on the thumbnails below to look at galleries of the latest Jaguar, Land Rover, and Tata products.)
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
March 17th, 2008 12:00 PM
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We were big fans of Land Rover’s LRX concept from the first time we saw it in the metal at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. And we were among the many who lauded the sleek and stylish leather interior found in the CUV.
Good news then, as Autocar is reporting in the February 27 issue of its print magazine that Land Rover has plans to stick as closely as possible to the concept interior for the production version of the LRX. Reports are that a senior source within the company is directing product engineers to investigate, “how to turn the challenging shapes and structures into production items for the 2010 launch.”
Most concept cars loose their expensive handmade interiors for the transformation to mass production. If the LRX can come to market with something approaching even 80 percent of the concept cabin, we would consider it a job well done.
+ Autocar
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Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
March 5th, 2008 6:00 PM
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Despite earlier reports flying around the blogosphere that Tata Motors would acquire Jaguar and Land Rover, then sell Jag and move LR to India, Ratan Tata maintains that his company will retain the British heritage of the two.
“Our plan would be to retain the image, the touch and the feel of Jaguar and Land Rover. We will not tinker with the brands in any way. They are special global brands and whoever acquires them has a responsibility to nurture them and enable them to prosper,” Tata said at the Geneva Motor Show.
He also said that Tata would not move Jaguar or Land Rover production from the UK, as was speculated and feared by the UK labor unions. He said, “We are conscious that the brands belong to Britain. These brands will continue to belong to Britain.”
Tata also noted that the company would maintain the existing management structure for the brands.
+ Automotive News: Tata will keep Jaguar, Land Rover’s heritage
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
February 25th, 2008 5:00 PM
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Tata will officially announce its purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford on March 5 or March 6, according to Automotive News.
The agreement date comes after last week’s talks with trade union leaders. Roger Maddison, national officer of Unite, the largest union in the UK auto industry, told Automotive News Europe, that Tata had agreed to meet the job guarantees sought by the unions. He said, “Everything seems fine as far as we are concerned; it’s just the lawyers working on it now.”
(More details after the jump)
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Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
February 24th, 2008 1:30 PM
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Despite the grapevine budding aplenty with talks of Tata unloading Jaguar and moving Land Rover production to India, the British union Unite dispels the rumors with confidence.
“We are confident our members’ long-term future is best served by Tata,” said Dave Osborne, national secretary for vehicle building at the Unite union. “They totally ruled out offloading Jaguar or building Land Rovers in India. There’s a couple of clarifications we still need from Ford, but I don’t see any issues arising from that.”
So, he may know more than most concerning the deal, but we’ll all have to wait and see whether Ratan Tata pulls the carpet out from under ‘em.
+ Automotive News: British union confident over Jaguar after Tata talks
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
February 20th, 2008 8:30 AM
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Indian sources have told Edmund’s Inside Line that when Tata acquires Land Rover and Jaguar, it will look to unload Jaguar quickly.
The source said that Ratan Tata recently purchased a 450-acre plot of land outside of New Delhi to build a Land Rover plant. The source said, “But Jaguar will be spun off almost immediately.”
So, what’s this all mean? Well, it’s no surprise that Tata is willing to take Jaguar along with Land Rover. Ratan Tata’s love for Land Rover is near obscene. But, the English labor unions that have supported the deal will likely raise a huge fuss over Tata’s plan to make the Land Rover’s elsewhere. Time will tell.
+ Edmund’s Inside Line: IL Insider: Jaguar Appears To Be Ugly Stepsister in Impending Tata Deal
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Winding Road Staff
February 11th, 2008 11:30 AM
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Nate Luzod finds the fuel consumption in the 2008 Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged to be shameful, but otherwise loves the vehicle. To read what other WINDING ROAD staffers thought about this Supercharged Range Rover, follow the jump.
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