Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover considers manufacturing in Saudi Arabia

London Dec 12 (ANI)

Tata-owned Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles could soon be built in oil-rich Saudi Arabia as Middle Eastern demand for the luxury vehicles increases, according to a report.

The 1 billion pounds plan follows Jaguar Land Rover sales in the Middle East and North Africa increasing by more than 9per cent to 11,418 vehicles this year.

The move forms part of the car company's global expansion strategy that recently saw it complete a 1 billion pounds deal to build its vehicles in China.

According to the Daily Mail, the India-based Tata Motors also plans to create an additional 4,500 production and manufacturing jobs in the UK over the next five years.

"We are committed to further international partnerships to meet record demand for our highly sought after vehicles," the paper quoted Jaguar Land Rover chief executive Dr Speth, as saying.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an attractive potential development option, complementing our existing advanced facilities in Britain and recent manufacturing plans to expand in other countries including India and China," he added.

The paper said that the new deal would present an opportunity for British workers to head out to Saudi Arabia to train local staff, although the company stresses it is not 'exporting British jobs abroad'.

--ANI

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All-new Range Rover launched in India

New Delhi, Nov 30 (IBNS)

Automobile giant Land Rover has announced the launch of the all-new Range Rover in India, the world's most refined and capable SUV.

The fourth generation of the iconic Range Rover line, the new model has been developed from the ground up to provide the ultimate luxury SUV, following the innovative spirit of the original design from over 40 years ago.

The world's first SUV with a lightweight all-aluminium body, the new Range Rover takes the capabilities of the marque's flagship to a new level, with even greater luxury and refinement, enhanced performance and handling on all terrains, and significant advances in sustainability, said the company.

Rohit Suri, Vice President, Jaguar and Land Rover India, said: "The new Range Rover offers an unparalleled special blend of luxury, performance and unmatched all-terrain capability.

"It's clever design and revolutionary lightweight construction will give Indian customers a product that will cope with the most difficult of terrains and provide a step change in comfort, refinement and handling."

At just under 5m long, the new Range Rover has a very similar footprint to the outgoing model, but with a smoother and more streamlines profile - the most aerodynamic Range Rover ever, with a drag coefficient starting from 0.34 - the roofline sits 20mm lower in access mode.

The All New Range Rover Launch

The new Range Rover's unmatched breadth of capability is also reflected in its strong structure with enhanced body geometry for all-terrain conditions, wading depth which has improved by 200mm to 900mm, and its position as the best towing vehicle in its class with a 3,500kg trailer capability.

Customers will have a choice of the 5.0-litre 510PS LR-V8 Supercharged petrol engine or the 4.4-litre 339PS SDV8 diesel engine, both which are now paired with a smooth and responsive eight-speed automatic transmission.

The all-new Range Rover features a revolutionary all-aluminium monocoque body structure which is 39 per cent lighter than the steel body in the outgoing model.

This weight saving heightens the characteristic Range Rover sensation of effortless performance, but also improves efficiency. For example, the 510PS LR-V8 Supercharged model can now accelerate from 0-100 kmph in just 5.4 seconds.

--IBNS

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Jaguar Land Rover sales up 29pc

Coventry, Nov 7 (IBNS)

Automobile major Jaguar Land Rover PLC on Wednesday reported its second quarter results for the 2012/2013 fiscal year (Q2 FY13) as GBP 431m profit before tax, a 100pc increase on the same period in the last financial year (2011/2012 fiscal year GBP 216m).

The positive result in the second quarter reflects a 29pc increase in retail sales volumes (84,749 vehicles in total) globally. The company has generated revenues of over GBP 3.2bn (an increase of GBP 373m).

Commenting on the results, JLR Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ralf Speth said: "Jaguar Land Rover has delivered another quarter of positive results against a challenging economic backdrop. We continue to see strong sales across all of our key markets."

"Jaguar Land Rover will continue to invest in its products, plants and will drive further growth by spending in the region of GBP 2bn across the financial year."

Speth further said: "In the third quarter, we will see the first customer deliveries of the all-new Range Rover along with the introduction of the Jaguar XF Sportbrake and all-wheel drive versions of the Jaguar XJ and XF."

Jaguar Land Rover has created over 8,000 new jobs in the last two years to support its ambitious investment and growth plans.

This includes 1,100 new jobs at Castle Bromwich; 1,000 new manufacturing posts at the Solihull plant; 1,000 jobs at Halewood and 1,000 engineers.

Jaguar Land Rover moved to three shifts at both its Halewood and Solihull plants during the first half of the financial year to support the increased demand for its products globally.

Jaguar Land Rover said it invests more in research and development than anyone else in the UK automotive sector and is in the top 10 across all sectors of the British economy.

Highlights:

? Retail sales: 84,749 vehicles, up 29pc on quarter two last fiscal year[1]

? Revenues: GBP 3.2bn, up GBP 373m

? Profit Before Tax: GBP 431m, up GBP 215m

? New Range Rover and Jaguar XF Sportbrake launched

--IBNS

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Land Rover Defender named top target for car thieves

London, Nov 24 (ANI)

A theft index shows that high end cars like Land Rovers, Audis and BMWs are more likely to be targeted by thieves than ordinary family saloons, despite having state-of-the-art security.

Nine of the top 10 targets were upmarket marques, with the Renault Laguna the only standard model to make it into the chart, the Mirror reported.

The bestselling Ford Focus came in 46th, while the popular Volkswagen Golf was ranked 24th.

Insurance firm Swiftcover's index gives cars a rating using the number of thefts in proportion to the number of those vehicles on the road.

The average sale price among the top 10 most stolen cars is 37,815 pounds.

The most valuable on the list is the Range Rover, which starts at 69,995 pounds.

Swiftcover's chief claims officer Robin Reames said: "Given that luxury vehicles are usually alarmed, well protected and parked in affluent neighbourhoods, it's surprising that they're still so likely to be targeted."

The top 10 most stolen cars are:

Land Rover Defender
BMW 7 Series
Audi A5
BMW X5
Mercedes ML
Range Rover
Audi TT
BMW Z4
Audi A3
Renault Laguna

--ANI

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2014 Range Rover Mule has Jaguar Dial Shifter—and Possible Diesel-Electric Hybrid Powertrain

With us since the 2006 model year, Land Rover’s current Range Rover flagship is palatial and iconic and capable. But we expect its replacement within a couple of years, likely with simple evolutionary styling changes covering a slew of new technologies—including some intended to help it slurp less fuel. This particular Range Rover–bodied mule, snapped at a facility of a technology partner, contains at least a few of those technologies, the most obvious of which is the dial-type electronic shifter like that used by its sister brand, Jaguar. It certainly isn’t the sportiest shift device in the world, but it is rather in keeping with the Range Rover’s wafty personality.

It’s clear that much more has changed beneath that current-gen Range Rover body, and there are a few possibilities as to what this vehicle might actually be. Among them is a new, super-high-performance version of the Range Rover, a swan-song model with a unique front clip for, say, the 2013 model year. More likely is that this is a powertrain/chassis mule for the next-gen Range Rover, due for 2014, with the fender flares hinting at increases in front and rear track width. Though we can’t see any of it here, a more aerodynamic body likely will need to be adopted if Land Rover hopes to raise fuel economy from “atrocious” to “just plain awful.” Also telling are the twin outboard bumper intakes, which show off what appear to be grilles for twin intercoolers, suggesting that a turbocharged engine—likely a diesel-powered V-6 or V-8— sits up front.

A close look at a mysterious box located between the mufflers suggests one further exposition: that this mule is testing Land Rover’s new “Range_e” plug-in diesel-electric hybrid system announced at this year’s Geneva auto show, with the box presumably containing some of the battery components. Intended for Land Rover’s larger vehicles, Range_e was shown installed in the Range Rover Sport and combines electric power with a 3.0-liter diesel V-6 and an eight-speed automatic. It surely will work in the larger Range Rover, too, although we shudder to think of the curb weight of a Rangie with a heavy diesel engine and a battery pack containing enough energy capacity to propel it 20 miles on a single charge.

Land Rover has said in the past that a diesel hybrid will be ready by 2012 and on sale by calendar-year 2013—just in time to debut in the 2014 Range Rover.

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Video: 27-liter, Rolls-Royce airplane-engined Rover SD1

by Aaron Richardson (RSS feed) on Apr 2nd 2011 at 8:01PM

Charlie Broomfield got bored of working on run-of-the-mill project cars. He always seemed to finish them to quickly, and was never quite satisfied with the results. Charlie needed a challenge to his engineering and fabrication skills.

That challenge came in the form of a donated 1981 Rover SD-1. The SD-1 needed some serious help to be the luxury sport sedan it was when it left British Leyland during the Thatcher era. Instead of restoring the car from top to bottom, though, Charlie purchased a 27-liter Rolls-Royce Meteor engine from a British Spitfire fighter plane. The engine cost Charlie a slim £1,000.

With 600 horsepower and 1,500 pound-feet of Nazi-stopping gusto wedged between the frame rails, the SD-1 will now break 160 mph without going over 2,000 rpm. Almost none of the original Rover parts are left, save the body panels, and Charlie's goal is to crack 200 mph in the 24-cylinder beast before he considers the project done.

[Source: YouTube]

Filed under: Aftermarket, Etc., Videos, Rolls-Royce

Tags: 1981 rover sd-1, awesome, charlie borrmfield, fifth gear, rolls, rolls-royce, rover, royce

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