Jaguar, Land Rover, Range Rover. All three are premium brands, and Jaguar Land Rover knows that the vehicles it manufactures are more than aspirational. Be that as it may, the British automaker continues to play second fiddle to the German triad.
In the U.S., for example, Jaguar Land Rover managed to sell 114,333 passenger cars, crossovers, and SUVs in 2017. That’s 8.8 percent more than in 2016, but still not enough compared to the German rivals. As highlighted by Wards Auto, “none of Jaguar or Land Rover’s 13 nameplates sold more than 20,000 units in the U.S.”
Alas, the chief executive officer of Jaguar Land Rover can’t make a case for a stateside assembly plant. The volume first has to grow, but that’s not all according to Ralf Speth. “If we have to export out of the U.S. 90% or 95% [of what we build here], then you will recognize it never will work from a financial point of view.”
For reference, the best-selling Jaguar Land Rover nameplate in the United States of America is the Range Rover Sport, racking up 19,153 deliveries in 2017. Volvo, on the other hand, sold 30,996 units of the mid-size XC90 in this SUV-driven market.
Speaking of Volvo, the Swedish manufacturer will open an assembly plant in South Carolina this summer. Here, the all-new S60 will be produced. What this means in the long run is that other SPA-based models can be assembled in the United States.
For the time being, the U.S. plant isn’t on the cards for Jaguar Land Rover, but it’s under consideration for when demand makes the investment feasible. As business stands at the present moment, the British conglomerate has manufacturing facilities in the United Kingdom, China, India, and Brazil.
An all-new facility will open by the end of the year in Nitra, Slovakia. In addition to these locations, the Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria is where the E-Pace compact SUV and I-Pace electric SUV are assembled.
Alas, the chief executive officer of Jaguar Land Rover can’t make a case for a stateside assembly plant. The volume first has to grow, but that’s not all according to Ralf Speth. “If we have to export out of the U.S. 90% or 95% [of what we build here], then you will recognize it never will work from a financial point of view.”
For reference, the best-selling Jaguar Land Rover nameplate in the United States of America is the Range Rover Sport, racking up 19,153 deliveries in 2017. Volvo, on the other hand, sold 30,996 units of the mid-size XC90 in this SUV-driven market.
Speaking of Volvo, the Swedish manufacturer will open an assembly plant in South Carolina this summer. Here, the all-new S60 will be produced. What this means in the long run is that other SPA-based models can be assembled in the United States.
For the time being, the U.S. plant isn’t on the cards for Jaguar Land Rover, but it’s under consideration for when demand makes the investment feasible. As business stands at the present moment, the British conglomerate has manufacturing facilities in the United Kingdom, China, India, and Brazil.
An all-new facility will open by the end of the year in Nitra, Slovakia. In addition to these locations, the Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria is where the E-Pace compact SUV and I-Pace electric SUV are assembled.