For many Land Rover enthusiasts, the iconic Land Rover brand entered a new phase when the last classic Defender rolled off the production line in 2015. You have to ask yourself, does the average 2023 Range Rover driver know that they are driving a Land Rover, and, more importantly, do they care?
In a significant development within the Reimagine strategy, launched in April 2022, JLR will adopt a House of Brands approach, which aims to emphasize the unique character of each of its brands – Range Rover, Discovery, Defender (and Jaguar) and to accelerate the delivery of the company’s vision to become the proud creators of “the world’s most desirable modern luxury automotive brands for discerning clients.”
JLR’s Chief Creative Officer, Professor Gerry McGovern OBE, commented on the House of Brands approach, stating,
“Pivotal to our Reimagine strategy is the formation of the House of Brands, which is a natural evolution, with a purpose of elevating and amplifying the uniqueness of our characterful British marques. Our ultimate ambition is to build truly emotionally engaging experiences for our clients that, over time, will build long-term high equity for our brands and long-term sustainability for JLR.”
Essentially, the Land Rover name will no longer be central to the vehicle brand or philosophy, and we are interested to see how this will play out in the retail space. Will Land Rover dealerships be rebranded as JLR, and what function will the iconic Land Rover green oval perform, if any? Reaction to the brand strategy has been mixed with some journalists, most notably British motor journalists, balking at the loss of an icon.
In other related news, Jaguar Land Rover recently unveiled an ambitious £15bn investment plan over the next five years to accelerate its transition to become the world’s leading modern luxury car manufacturer. The company announced that its Halewood plant in Merseyside, UK, would be transformed into an all-electric production facility. Its next-generation medium-size SUV architecture, the electrified modular architecture (EMA), will be transformed into an all-electric production facility that will now be purely electric.
The comprehensive investment plan includes funding for JLR’s industrial footprint, vehicle programs, autonomous driving, AI and digital technologies, and employee skills development. As part of this plan, JLR’s Engine Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton will be renamed the Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre.
JLR CEO Adrian Mardell reaffirmed the company’s commitment to its Reimagine strategy during a global media update at JLR’s Gaydon Centre stating,
“Today I am proud to announce we are accelerating our electrification path, making one of our UK plants and our next-generation medium-size luxury SUV architecture fully electric. This investment enables us to deliver to our modern luxury electric future, developing new skills, and reaffirming our commitment to be carbon net zero by 2039,”
This strategy will reposition the company as an electric-first, modern luxury carmaker by 2030. JLR seeks to achieve a net cash-positive position by FY25 and double-digit EBIT by 2026.
JLR confirmed it would begin accepting client orders for the all-electric Range Rover later this year. The first next-generation medium-size luxury SUV will be an all-electric model from the Range Rover family, set to launch in 2025 and manufactured at the Halewood plant in Merseyside. Although the EMA will now be exclusively electric, JLR will retain the flexible modular longitudinal architecture (MLA) on which the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport are built. This will allow for internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid, and battery electric vehicle (BEV) options, giving JLR the flexibility to adapt its lineup according to the varying needs of global markets, each progressing towards carbon net zero targets at different rates.
Our No Compromise Clause: We carefully screen all contributors to ensure they are independent and impartial. We never have and never will accept advertorial, and we do not allow advertising to influence our product or destination reviews.
