JLR begins Jaguar XF assembly operation in India

JAGUAR Land Rover has announced it is to start producing its award-winning Jaguar XF in India.

The cars will be assembled at the Tata Motors-owned facility in Pune from components supplied from the company’s Castle Bromwich plant in Birmingham.

The announcement is a further indication of the company’s intention to become a global player. It will also improve domestic sales in India because of lower import duties.

The initial Pune-built Jaguar XF models will feature the company’s 2.2-litre diesel engine, which is coming to the Indian market for the first time. The Jaguars will be built alongside Land Rover Freelander 2 vehicles which have been produced in Pune since May 2011.

Dr Ralf Speth, JLR chief executive, said: “India is a market that offers significant opportunities for both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. The expansion of our Pune operations to include the Jaguar XF will help us realise our ambitions for the Indian market.

“Jaguar Land Rover is committed to building a sustainable, profitable business; increasing our global manufacturing footprint is a key element of our growth strategy. Together with our joint venture manufacturing facility already under construction near Shanghai, expanding our operations at Pune will help us increase the global volume of cars we build, in addition to those produced in the UK.”

Rohit Suri, Vice President, Jaguar Land Rover India said: “The Land Rover Freelander 2 and the Jaguar XF are our best-selling models in India and this has driven the move to build these products locally.”

JLR India recently announced a 32% growth in sales during 2012 with 2,393 cars purchased compared with 1,813 cars in the previous year.