JLR’s new arrival sparks model rumours
JAGUAR LAND ROVER’s announcement of the appointment of Dr. Ralf Speth as Chief Executive Officer has raised speculation that the car maker is about to embark on a new phase of changes to its production processes and model range.
Dr Speth will have overall responsibility for the JLR’s operations and will report to Carl-Peter Forster, the recently appointed Group Chief Executive Officer of Tata Motors. The previous chief executive David Smith, left the company suddenly just three weeks ago, after spending more than a year steering the firm through the recession and its campaign to win backing from the government.
Dr. Speth, 54, has more than 22 years experience in the European auto industry, most of which was at BMW where his last appointment was Vice President, Land Rover. Later he was Director Production, Quality and Product Planning at Premier Automotive Group of Ford Ltd. After that, Dr Speth has been with the Linde Group where he was the Head of Global Operations reporting to the Chairman.
Ravi Kant, Vice Chairman, Tata Motors said “The introduction of Dr. Ralf Speth into Jaguar Land Rover under the guidance of Carl-Peter Forster will considerably strengthen the management of the Company and enhance the position and reputation of the two iconic brands in line with the long term strategy of the Company.”
The appointment comes as specialist auto industry magazine AutoCar reported that JLR is planning to consolidate its platforms to reduce costs. The combined company currently uses six platforms for all its vehicles, but AutoCar reports there will be just two in the near future, one for Jaguar and one for Land Rover models.
Land Rover will use a basic steel architecture that can be stretched to three different lengths to underpin all of its models. Jaguar, meanwhile, will use an updated version of its aluminum architecture that already underpins its cars.
Jaguar is also rumoured to be getting closer to unveiling a new two-seater roadster, a project that is know to be close to the heart of the company’s ultimate boss, Ratan Tata.
