In the year 1989, Ford obtained Jaguar for $2.5 billion. When year 2000 arrived, Ford then purchased Land Rover for $2.75 billion. This year will see some changes as Tata Motors Ltd. takes over both Jaguar and Land Rover. Tata Ltd. is part of the Tata Group, one of India’s oldest and largest business companies. Tata Group is made up of 98 companies, operates in six continents and has seven business sectors under their wing. Tata Motors was one of the three bidders left until Ford announced that they wanted Tata Motors to handle their British units.

During the SEC filing last Wednesday, Ford had made a comment regarding the sale: “Any transaction that we enter into would be expected to close during the second quarter of 2008.” What Ford plans to do is to sell all of their stakes in the brands. Land Rover, together with Jaguar, is now seen as interference to the strategy of Alan Mulally, Chief Executive. His strategy is to focus on Ford’s core brand.

Roger Maddison, a national officer for the British Union Unite, had said, “Nobody foresees any major problems now; everything is pretty much done.” By March 5 this year, Tata and Ford could already be signing a memorandum of understanding. With this deal, both companies will become industrial partners for a couple more years. After all, it would take some time before Tata would be able to find a supplier who would provide them with what they need when it comes to the manufacturing of the vehicles. Specifically, those supplies are the engines and other key auto parts for the car brands.

source: The Wall Street Journal

“We used to spend a considerable amount of time searching our huge facility to locate vehicles. Now, the precise location of all new vehicles is always at our fingertips. The information the WhereNet system provides is critical in optimizing production, supporting lean manufacturing and ensuring that Land Rover delivers the highest-quality vehicles.” This is what Dave O’ Reilly, the Manager for Manufacturing and Purchasing IT of Land Rover, said regarding their adaption on WhereNet’s RFID. With this new technology, the processing of vehicle units going over 150,000 each year is made easier for everyone.

This real-time locating system (RTLS) is placed at their assembly plant located at Solihull. This plant, boasting of 308 acres, houses the production of the Defender, Discovery 3/LR3, Ranger Rover, and Range Rover Sport vehicles. The tracking system’s vast improvement on different things is clear, as it resulted to a quicker pace of production, output, order-t-cash cycles, and the quality of the vehicles manufactured. Aiding in their quality assessment of each vehicle, WhereNet has helped Land Rover tremendously due to better management of the process of quality checking. It is because of this that millions of dollars were saved, since they were able to send out vehicles for delivery in a time that is quicker than usual. This resulted to a notable improvement in their order-to-cash-cycle time.

Tom Bacon, General Manager of Manufacturing and Government Business of Zebra Enterprise Solutions Group (WhereNet Corporation is under the said company), said this regarding their tie up with Land Rover, “Powered by WhereNet’s real-time locating system technology, Land Rover and other OEMs have a ‘bread crumb trail’ of information about every vehicle on site, enabling plant managers to accurately plan, execute and monitor processing within the dynamic off-line environment.”

source: Industy Week

It was announced at the Geneva Motor Show that the 2008 model for Land Rover LR3 will be sporting some changes, mainly on its interior. New details are added – details which are made of high quality materials. Metallic highlights and Noble Chrome plating which serves as an accent lends an air of class and sophistication to this new Land Rover. Quite spacious, the 2008 LR3 can seat seven adults. To give more space for luggage or cargo when the passengers are less than seven, the second and third row seats can be folded. Traveling is made easier with the help of technology such as Bluetooth and GPS (premium navigation system). The Bluetooth provides the driver hands-free communication. This is very important since it allows the driver to keep both hands on the wheel and both eyes on the road while still maintaining communication with people who matter. The GPS is an advanced DVD-based system which provides ample information about things related to traveling, such as the nearest gas station, hotel or ATM. This navigator gives off the information clearly with its seven-inch, high resolution display. The 2008 Land Rover LR3 also comes with Automatic Climate Control, which ensures a comfortable ride. The Cold Climate Package is an option that is offered for this model. It includes heated front and rear seats as well as a heated windshield.

Better handling means a better take on safety. It seems as if the 2008 LR3 knew that as well, as it features Active Roll Mitigation, Cornering brake Control, Anti-lock Brake System, and Emergency Brake Assist. All of these are meant to assure both driver and passengers that they are in for a safe ride. Its Dynamic Stability Control also aids in giving more ease in driving.

Powered by a 32-valve, 4.4-liter engine, this model gives a powerful torque of 315 lb.-ft. This means getting out of road trouble more quickly than usual. It is a four-wheel drive which has a six-speed automatic transmission. If you’re wondering what the price for this tough yet sleek vehicle is, it is reported to be roughly around $54,025.

source: The Car Connection

“Nevada Passage” is a reality television show series. The T.V. show features a number of teams in pairs who compete with each other in different activities. Such activities are bicycle races, kayaking, jet skiing, rock climbing, and other various outdoor activities. It all started three years ago in Reno, Nevada. The tourism commission of Nevada was responsible for creating the show “Nevada Passage.” This year it gets bigger: The television reality series show is about to go international. Along with this big step, they have partnered with a well-known automobile maker, Land Rover.

“Nevada Passage” will be featuring Sport Utility Vehicles from Land Rover. The series will kick off in May his year, serving as one of the qualifying events all over the world for the 2008-2009 Land Rover G4 Challenge. There will be 18 said qualifying events and will be featuring a couple of activities. These activities will include off-road races, navigation challenges, trail running, mountain biking, and kayaking.

The tourism officials conceptualized the “Nevada Passage” show in order to promote Nevada as more than the place for casinos. The officials want the people to know that their place offer more than that to their visitors. Previous “Nevada Passage” competitions took place in Sierra Nevada (backcountry skiing), Sand Mountain Recreation Area near Fallon (sand-boarding), the Truckee River in downtown Reno (kayaking) and the Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas (rock climbing).

The exact location of the event, which will last for five days, is kept secret. The tourism officials together with Land Rover made it necessary to keep the location a secret to be able to avoid competitors from getting ahead of the others.

source: Canadian Press

From March 6 to 16, Land Rover’s LRX concept cross-coupe and Defender SVX special edition will be unveiled to the public at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show. The launch of the Defender SVX special edition marks the company’s 60th anniversary. It will be available in South Africa some time during May and June this year. There will be two types of SVX special edition: ones with soft top and others the station wagon. The exterior of the vehicle is bound to catch attention, what with its silver finishes, “diamond turned” alloy wheels with five spokes, and the custom badges. The interior is just as promising. It has Recaro sports seats, alloy gear knobs and iPod cradle, just to name a few. Phil Popham, the Managing Director of Land Rover, said, “The Defender SVX looks very different to a spartan 1948 Land Rover, but it’s still an essentially practical vehicle that will enable you to go almost anywhere.”

The Land Rover LRX, on the other hand, is a three-door vehicle which is compact and lighter in weight. According to Phil Popham, “The LRX concept delivers the powerful message that we are as serious about sustainability as we are confident about the continuing relevance and desirability of our vehicles… LRX is in every respect a Land Rover, but it’s a very different Land Rover.” It is made to impress but does not compromise Land Rover’s awareness of the environment. This model addresses environmental issues with its capability of 120g/km Carbon Dioxide emissions. “LRX has unmistakable Land Rover design and the breadth of capability that you’d expect from our vehicles. But it carries those essentials into a segment where the brand has never been before, and with a proposed level of efficiency that would make it one of the cleanest vehicles in its class. It is Land Rover’s way of affirming the brand’s responsible approach to future product development.”

source: motoring.co.za

Land Rover has risen 18 percent in global sales. One of its possible contributing factors is the manufacturing and marketing of new models. Land Rover has seen increase in profitability due to the various new models it had brought to the public for the past five years. The sales in global markets such as Russia and China had also contributed to it profitability. For the past year of 2007, Land Rover had sold 226,395 units of vehicles.

If the Land Rover had enjoyed a rise in sales, then Ford Motor Co.’s Jaguar had experienced the exact opposite. There was a reported 19 percent decrease in sales all over the world. This particular result yielded the end of production of the Jaguar S-Type models. The Jaguar was able to sell 60,485 units the past year.

source: The Detroit News

It is at the Geneva motor show that the much awaited special edition of Land Rover, the Land Rover Defender SVX, will be unveiled. The Defender SVX will be shown together with the LRX concept cross-coupe, yet another much awaited model of Land Rover.

The Managing Director for Land Rover, Phil Popham, has given statements regarding the special edition of the Defender SVX. “The Defender SVX looks very different to a spartan 1948 Land Rover, but it’s still an essentially practical vehicle that will enable you to go almost anywhere… The new and much more refined diesel engine introduced earlier this year has been a great success with customers, and for those who want the ultimate Defender, we thought that the SVX special edition would be an ideal way to mark Land Rover’s 60th birthday.”

The special edition will be available in soft-top and station wagon versions. The exterior of the model will be made to look more striking, such as sporting a “Defender” and “SVX” badges. It now comes with clear lens headlamps and clear LED rear lights. There will be a bold surround for the front grille as well. The front seats are custom made (Recaro) and the audio system comes with a subwoofer and USB socket. This special edition Defender SVX will be showing off a “’diamond turned’ five-spoke alloy wheels” and a “reinforced aluminum front undershield.”

The price for the Land Rover Defender SVX special edition has not yet been announced. However, the production will begin on the spring of this year 2008.

sources: Crash and Serious Wheels

Land Rover is more than about manufacturing vehicles. Adding to the list of their asides, they have continued to become sponsors this year for two different events. The Rugby website owned by ESPN called Scrum.com has re-signed the famous luxury car brand that is Land Rover to be a sponsor in its Six Nations Fantasy League game. This is the third consecutive year of Land Rover being a sponsor to Scrum.com’s game on the site. Being a sponsor for said game consists of promotion of the game via different ways and means, which includes digital posts such as Cricinfo.com and ESPNsoccernet.com.

There were over twenty-five thousand participants or users last year who took part in the online rugby management of Scrum.com, where fans picked their combination of teams from among the different nations in high hopes of winning the weekly prizes. The weekly prizes include half a day’s worth of driving a Land Rover. There is also a prize of one whole day of the Land Rover Driving experience, which is good for two people. The UK Sales Manager of ESPN, Abeed Janmohamed, said that their relationship with Land Rover had strengthened this year. Furthermore, he said that, “This agreement is a great example of how online sponsorship can deliver clear business objectives. Given that this is the third year of Land Rover’s association with the game it is also a great endorsement of how effective this relationship has been for them.” The said Six Nations Fantasy League game which will take place at Scrum.com will start with the first round match which includes England versus Twickenham.

Yet another sponsorship that Land Rover has is the one with Snowsport GB, which is United Kingdom’s national governing body for skiing and snowboarding. Land Rover has replaced Audi as its official vehicle partner. With this new arrangement, Land Rover is expected to provide all of the team members a fleet of Discovery 3s and Range Rover Sports. This includes Britain’s top female down hill skier, Chemmy Alcott. This fleet of Land Rover vehicles will support them in the duration of the World Cup season. John Edwards, managing director for Land Rover UK, has said, “As a British brand, we are delighted to be able to support the best of British skiers and snowboarders in their pursuit of World Cup victory… Land Rover vehicles provide the ultimate capability required to ensure that the team members can travel safely and comfortably between competitions, often through treacherous snowy conditions.”

The Chief Executive of Snowsport GB, Mark Simmers, had also spoken about the new sponsor. “Control, precision, strength and determination are what it takes to be a high performance athlete in snowsport disciplines - therefore the Land Rover sponsorship of the British Ski and Snowboard teams couldn’t be a better match.”

The vehicle models which will be supplied will be completely equipped with the patented Terrain Response Land Rover is known for, as well as the permanent four-wheel drive. Other features that are included are Hill Descent Control, Dynamic Stability Control and low-range gearbox.

sources: Brand Republic and mad.co.uk