News
Land Rover branding dropped in major restructure
Jaguar Land Rover to become ‘house of brands’ with huge investment into rebirth as an electrified luxury marque
Britain’s biggest carmaker Jaguar Land Rover has confirmed a decisive move upmarket off the back of a £15bn investment in new manufacturing facilities and the next generation of electric-only platforms on which its future models will be built. But amidst all the corporate restructuring and talk of ‘modern luxury electric first’ ambitions the news that really seems to have got people talking is the apparent move to drop Land Rover branding from its cars.
As the SUV boom continues unabated axing this most iconic name in the world of 4x4s seems a strange choice, and one that has triggered more than a little emotional outpouring from fans. But within the shift to being ‘proud creators of modern luxury’ it seems there’s no room for the more traditional muddy boots image of Land Rover as we know it.
As the SUV boom continues unabated axing this most iconic name in the world of 4x4s seems a strange choice, and one that has triggered more than a little emotional outpouring from fans. But within the shift to being ‘proud creators of modern luxury’ it seems there’s no room for the more traditional muddy boots image of Land Rover as we know it.
Under the umbrella of JLR as a whole we’ll instead see a ‘house of brands’ comprising Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar all forging their own identities while sharing common electric technology built in the UK, including at the soon to be upgraded Halewood plant in Merseyside. The Land Rover name will endure, but more as the corporate entity within which the SUV sub-brands are gathered, and seemingly not as a car maker in its own right.
New cars will also be built at JLR’s traditional base in the West Midlands, these including a new ‘four-door GT’ Jaguar promising more power than any model in its history, a range of up to 430 miles and price of around £100,000. “This investment enables us to deliver to our modern luxury electric future, securing jobs, developing new skills, and reaffirming our commitment to be net zero carbon by 2039,” says JLR CEO Adridan Mardell, while chief creative officer Gerry McGovern explains the ‘house of brands’ restructure as “a natural evolution, with a purpose of elevating and amplifying the uniqueness of our characterful British marques.” For Range Rover this means orders opening for all-electric version of its flagship SUV later this year and the first of a new generation of mid-sized models in 2025. Expect more news about additional new products under the Defender and Discovery brands in due course.
New cars will also be built at JLR’s traditional base in the West Midlands, these including a new ‘four-door GT’ Jaguar promising more power than any model in its history, a range of up to 430 miles and price of around £100,000. “This investment enables us to deliver to our modern luxury electric future, securing jobs, developing new skills, and reaffirming our commitment to be net zero carbon by 2039,” says JLR CEO Adridan Mardell, while chief creative officer Gerry McGovern explains the ‘house of brands’ restructure as “a natural evolution, with a purpose of elevating and amplifying the uniqueness of our characterful British marques.” For Range Rover this means orders opening for all-electric version of its flagship SUV later this year and the first of a new generation of mid-sized models in 2025. Expect more news about additional new products under the Defender and Discovery brands in due course.
