Autocar January 8, 2020

WHAT DO YOU think of Vauxhall as a brand? Solid, dependable – but ultimately forgettable. This week Vauxhall boss Stephen Norman, as energising a car company boss as any, reveals a multimillion-pound plan to help transform the image of Vauxhall off the back of a next-generation range of cars that starts with the new Corsa (p18). Norman sees Brexit and the general election result as an opportunity to capitalise on a changing social landscape with a range of ‘Made for Britain’ models, transforming the brand into one you’d actively switch to from another car maker, rather than look to trade up and out of. Vauxhall is almost unique in the industry in existing to serve just one country. Why shouldn’t it enjoy the success here that Seat has in Spain, Fiat has…

Jaguar Land Rover is bouncing back from a tumultuous 18 months with development under way on what could be the firm’s most important model: the new Range Rover Sport. Fresh from the successful launch of the Defender, the order bank for which is already well above projections (see graph, right), JLR also returned to profit last year under the firm’s crucial ‘Project Charge’ recovery plan. Engineers and designers have now shifted their focus to what should be an even bigger profit generator: the 2022 Range Rover Sport. The third-generation Porsche Cayenne rival is expected to stick closely to the formula of today’s model. It will adopt more electrified powertrains and a range of enhanced technology and will aim to retain the balance of luxury and dynamic ability for which both previous models…

To put the importance of the new Range Rover Sport into perspective, we need to look at Land Rover’s sales figures over the past few years. Between January and November 2016, Land Rover sold 78,600 Range Rover Sports, well ahead of the 49,900 Range Rovers and the 46,700 Discoverys also sold over that period. Fast forward to last year and, over the like-for-like period, Land Rover sold 74,400 Sports and 47,400 Range Rovers. Considering that the new Velar also shifted 55,000 units between January and November last year, sales of the model’s sister cars held up remarkably well. While JLR bosses can be congratulated for establishing three of the company’s four premium models (Range Rover, RRS, Velar) as strongly differentiated brands that seem to suffer little in the way of cross-shopping, it’s worth…

WHAT DO YOU think of Vauxhall as a brand? Solid, dependable – but ultimately forgettable. This week Vauxhall boss Stephen Norman, as energising a car company boss as any, reveals a multimillion-pound plan to help transform the image of Vauxhall off the back of a next-generation range of cars that starts with the new Corsa (p18). Norman sees Brexit and the general election result as an opportunity to capitalise on a changing social landscape with a range of ‘Made for Britain’ models, transforming the brand into one you’d actively switch to from another car maker, rather than look to trade up and out of. Vauxhall is almost unique in the industry in existing to serve just one country. Why shouldn’t it enjoy the success here that Seat has in Spain,…

Jaguar Land Rover is bouncing back from a tumultuous 18 months with development under way on what could be the firm’s most important model: the new Range Rover Sport. Fresh from the successful launch of the Defender, the order bank for which is already well above projections (see graph, right), JLR also returned to profit last year under the firm’s crucial ‘Project Charge’ recovery plan. Engineers and designers have now shifted their focus to what should be an even bigger profit generator: the 2022 Range Rover Sport. The third-generation Porsche Cayenne rival is expected to stick closely to the formula of today’s model. It will adopt more electrified powertrains and a range of enhanced technology and will aim to retain the balance of luxury and dynamic ability for which both…

Some analysts believe JLR’s massive £3 billion write-down in ’property plant and equipment’ at the beginning of last year was related to phasing out some of its own engine development and instead turning attention to working with BMW on future electrified drivetrains. JLR already has plans to make electric drive units at its Wolverhampton engine plant, and a battery factory at Hams Hall, coincidentally next to BMW’s UK engine factory, is on the cards, too. JLR has also told investors it will greatly reduce its workforce in mechanical engineering, again pointing towards plans for significant co-operation with other car makers on powertrains and platforms as the huge costs of moving to electrification crush the premium brands. According to JLR’s financial documents, the firm will spend up to £4bn a year for the next…