It’s been only little over a year of Land Rover’s India entry, and the British brand has already decided to go Indian. Come 2011 and Land Rover will start local assembly in India.
The first model to come through the Completely Knocked Down (CKD) route will be the Freelander 2. With that step, the Freelander’s sticker price may also come down to around Rs 25lakh. Currently, the Freelander sells for Rs 34.7 – Rs 43.9lakh in Mumbai, which is seen as a steep pricing for the vehicle.
Autocar India learns that Tata Motors will use the Pune plant that was earlier used by Mercedes Benz, to assemble the Freelander. The plant has a capacity to assemble around 3,500 vehicles per year. Land Rover will use Tata Motors’ paint shop for the Freelander.
Luxury SUVs are picking up speed in the Indian market, with Audi gaining a significant lead in it. With the latest step, Tata Motors will be able to position its Land Rover more competitively in India. In its first year of sales, Jaguar Land Rover sold 225 units in India.
JLR will also start assembly operations in China. It is currently in talks with prospective partners to start assembling vehicles there.