Autocar July 31, 2019

AN EXPANSION OF the tie-up between Jaguar Land Rover and BMW should come as no surprise. With each passing week, more rivals are pooling resources to try and fund the huge investments needed for future technologies. That’s all while trying to invest in updating present tech and models to stay relevant today and well into the medium term; a ubiquity of electrified models in showrooms is still some way out, and the advanced, developed cars of today still need to be sold. JLR simply isn’t big enough to meet the investment challenges alone. No car maker is, in fact. Something has to give, and that is displayed through alliances between even the biggest of rivals to share the burden. Ford and Volkswagen are working together on electric cars and vans. BMW has also…

“The blossoming alliance between JLR and BMW has expanded beyond electric drive units” Jaguar is plotting two small crossovers to grow its SUV family as it looks to bolster waning sales – and they could ultimately be built on BMW platforms as part of increasing ties between the two firms. The deal between the two companies, which started with joint work on electric drive unit (EDU) development, also opens up the prospect of the introduction of a new entry-level Land Rover model alongside next-generation versions of the recently replaced Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport built off the BMW architecture. The blossoming alliance between Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and BMW has already expanded. Autocar sources have recently revealed that the German car maker is set to supply JLR with four and…

AN EXPANSION OF the tie-up between Jaguar Land Rover and BMW should come as no surprise. With each passing week, more rivals are pooling resources to try and fund the huge investments needed for future technologies. That’s all while trying to invest in updating present tech and models to stay relevant today and well into the medium term; a ubiquity of electrified models in showrooms is still some way out, and the advanced, developed cars of today still need to be sold. JLR simply isn’t big enough to meet the investment challenges alone. No car maker is, in fact. Something has to give, and that is displayed through alliances between even the biggest of rivals to share the burden. Ford and Volkswagen are working together on electric cars and vans.…

JAGUAR’S SMALL SUV Shorter and lower than today’s E-Pace (which is heading towards becoming Jaguar’s current best-seller), the baby SUV will be more modern and sophisticated in its styling than the entry-level Land Rover, with strong shades of the I-Pace to its appearance and feel. JAGUAR’S SMALL CROSSOVER COUPE Potentially a curvaceous cousin to the BMW X2, a truly small upmarket Jaguar five-door could tap into the female market. Like Aston Martin, Jaguar has the eye of female buyers but has rarely served up properly targeted vehicles. LAND ROVER 80 A compact entry-level Land Rover, priced from around £24,000, will be launched as a stylish family-friendly five-door, with expressive styling inspired by the original 1948 Land Rover and the new Defender. Potentially a big seller, it could take the Freelander name. RANGE ROVER EVOQUE The second-gen Evoque,…

“The blossoming alliance between JLR and BMW has expanded beyond electric drive units” Jaguar is plotting two small crossovers to grow its SUV family as it looks to bolster waning sales – and they could ultimately be built on BMW platforms as part of increasing ties between the two firms. The deal between the two companies, which started with joint work on electric drive unit (EDU) development, also opens up the prospect of the introduction of a new entry-level Land Rover model alongside next-generation versions of the recently replaced Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport built off the BMW architecture. The blossoming alliance between Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and BMW has already expanded. Autocar sources have recently revealed that the German car maker is set to supply JLR…

BMW’s long relationship with the British car industry was triggered way back in 1993. The then Rover Group approached the company and asked to buy BMW’s impressive 2.5-litre diesel engine for the upcoming Mk2 Range Rover. This piqued the interest of BMW’s new boss, Bernd Pischetsrieder, who was both an Anglophile and the great-nephew of Mini designer Sir Alec Issigonis. BMW tried to buy Land Rover from owner BAe but was told the company would sell only the whole Rover Group. In February 1994, BMW shocked the automotive world by buying the Rover Group – the Mini brand being a great temptation – and waving through plans for the Rover 75 and Land Rover Freelander. But by 1999, BMW was sinking under the weight of huge Rover losses and the UK government’s…