Rumour: Tata Motors planning 2 SUVs with Land Rover inputs

Tata Motors now owns two iconic British brands, Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR), both of which it rescued in 2008 and has since nursed back to profitability. In India, Tata Motors has converted the former Mercedes Benz-Tata factory at Chikali to assemble Land Rover SUVs and Jaguar sedans. Tata Motors is also actively engaged in a higher level of localization for the likes of the Land Rover Freelander2 SUV and the Jaguar XF sedan.

Note: Image of the Land Rover Freelander2 SUV used in this report is illustrative in nature. 

The Indian car and utility vehicle giant was speculated to build the next-generation 2015 Defender in India, while a new engine plant meant for JLR was also due to come up here. For now, these plans have been put on hold. According to a LiveMint report, Tata Motors might still launch two new SUVs in India after 2015, albeit with inputs from Land Rover.

Notably, Tata Motors' plans of building the 2 new SUVs with Land Rover inputs will not be the first instance of the Indian automaker taking assistance of the iconic British SUV brand. The Aria crossover, a massive failure at the hustings, was also developed with inputs from Land Rover.

One of the two new SUVs is expected to be slotted in the 10-15 lakh rupee price bracket while details about the other SUV remain unknown at this point in time. Notably, both the new SUVs that Tata Motors will launch after 2015 will be full sized models (think Safari and the Storme) rather than compact sub-4 meter models. Tata Motors will also launch compact SUVs that will operate in the sub-10 lakh rupee segment. 

Also, Land Rover's expertise is likely to be sought only for the full sized SUV duo. The SUVs will form the part of the next-generation range of vehicles that Tata Motors will launch post 2015, under the HORIZONEXT strategy. Tata Motors plans to have an all-new product range by 2020. Until then, existing Tata cars and SUVs will see periodic facelifts.

The car maker is also working on a program to boost quality and reliability of all its products. Coming back to the new SUVs that Tata Motors is said to be be developing, both SUVs will feature the Tata badge only. Also, the platform on which these SUVs will be based upon is not likely to be used by Land Rover. 

Tata Motors has ceded market share in the SUV segment to arch-rival Mahindra & Mahindra, despite the automaker being an early mover in this category with the likes of the Sierra and the Safari. Also, newer entrants such as Renault and Ford have gained significant footholds in the compact SUV market in India.

To revamp its SUV business, Tata Motors has hired a former Mahindra product development engineer, Mr. Behram Dhabhar, who was instrumental in developing the Thar, an off roader that has been quite a success as both a lifestyle vehicle as well as a people mover in rural areas.