Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Jaguar Plans Small SUV to Broaden Lineup in BMW Challenge

Jaguar Plans Small SUV to Broaden Lineup in BMW Challenge

Jaguar, Tata Motors Ltd. (TTMT)’s high-end British car brand, unveiled the C-X17 small sport-utility vehicle prototype in a bid to challenge Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) for mainstream luxury-auto buyers.
The crossover, being introduced at the International Auto Show in Frankfurt this month, is based on a new aluminum architecture that will provide the underpinnings for a series of vehicles, the Whitley, England-based manufacturer said.
“With this technical foundation, we will dramatically expand Jaguar’s product offering, market potential and customer appeal,” Adrian Hallmark, head of the Jaguar brand for Tata’s Jaguar Land Rover unit, said yesterday at a presentation in downtown Frankfurt. “This new philosophy will bring technology from our luxury products into an accessible price segment.”

Jaguar, which sells just one car for every 20 vehicles delivered globally by Munich-based BMW, offers just four models in the U.S., none of them an SUV. BMW has four crossovers as part of its range of 11 vehicle lines. The British nameplate is now mounting a challenge to its German rivals after helping its image in recent years with cars like the $69,000 F-Type roadster.
“They need an anchor vehicle, like a Mercedes C-Class or BMW 3-Series, something a bit more attainable for luxury buyers,” said Jessica Caldwell, a senior industry analyst for Edmunds.com, which tracks U.S. auto sales. “Now is really good time” for Jaguar to enter the segment.

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