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  • Tata Motors Expands EV Focus

    Tata Motors Expands EV Focus

    Tata Motors is placing a significant emphasis on the electric vehicle (EV) sector with a series of product launches in a bid to substantially increase its market share by 2030. According to the company’s recently published annual report for the fiscal year 2022-23 (April-March), Tata Motors anticipates that EVs will account for 25 percent of its product portfolio within five years and reach 50 percent by 2030.

    In the March quarter, Tata Motors achieved a major milestone by surpassing annual EV sales of 50,000 units, constituting 12 percent of its overall sales. Over the past three years, Tata Motors, as the leading player in India’s EV market, witnessed a remarkable surge in volumes, escalating from 1,300 units to over 50,000 units.

    The company foresees a considerable surge in EV demand as more options become available to consumers. During the fiscal year 2023-24, Tata Motors aims to focus on achieving substantial volume growth, making strategic investments, maintaining healthy underlying unit economics, and remaining competitive in the market. N Chandrasekaran, Chairman and Non-executive Director, expressed confidence in the company’s future prospects, asserting that Tata Motors is rebounding after several challenging years and remains committed to fulfilling its financial obligations while contributing to a greener future.

    Tata Motors presently boasts the widest range of EV offerings in India, encompassing hatchbacks, sedans, and sports utility vehicles (SUVs) catering to both premium and mass market segments. Moving forward, the automaker intends to capitalize on this strategic advantage by expanding its EV sales and after-sales network, as well as charging infrastructure throughout the country. By implementing these initiatives, Tata Motors aims to tap into the untapped potential and broaden its customer base.

    Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Tata Motor’s subsidiary, is also making significant strides in the EV domain. The company has set its sights on transforming Jaguar into a fully electric luxury brand, and its strategic plan is progressing as intended. Adrian Mardell, the interim CEO, announced that the first new all-electric Jaguar vehicle will be unveiled in 2024, with customer deliveries commencing in 2025. Later this year, JLR plans to commence pre-orders for the inaugural pure electric Range Rover. Despite the challenging market conditions, JLR remains committed to delivering on its “Reimagine” strategy and is confident in the unwavering support and dedication of its skilled workforce.

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  • Jaguar Land Rover Opens Three European Hubs

    Luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover said on Tuesday it is opening three new engineering hubs in Europe to develop autonomous vehicle technologies as part of its partnership with Silicon Valley artificial intelligence company Nvidia.

    The hubs in Munich, Bologna and Madrid will develop self-driving systems for JLR’s next generation of luxury vehicles. JLR already has six global tech hubs the United States, China and Europe.

    JLR, unit of India’s Tata Motors, said the locations were chosen because of the local availability of digital engineering specialists and will create almost 100 engineering jobs focused “on developing driver assistance systems and artificial intelligence for self-driving cars of the future.”

    JLR and Nvidia announced a multiyear agreement last year under which they will jointly develop the computer brains and nervous systems for Jaguars and Land Rovers launching in 2025 and beyond.

    The partnership with Nvidia gives JLR a well-funded ally as it tries to catch up with Tesla Inc and other luxury vehicle rivals in a digital technology arms race.

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  • Jaguar Land Rover India Appoints Rajan Amba As Its New Managing Director

    Jaguar Land Rover India Appoints Rajan Amba As Its New Managing Director

    Tata Motors-owned luxury car brand Jaguar Land Rover has appointed a new Managing Director for its India business. The company’s current President and Managing Director Rohit Suri will take retirement from his position by the end of the current financial year. While it had not named Rohit’s successor back then, the company has now announced that Rajan Amba will take over as the Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover India, from March 1, 2023.

    Rajan will join Jaguar Land Rover from Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, where he is currently the Vice-President of Sales, Marketing and Customer Care. Rajan Amba succeeds Rohit Suri, who is due to retire on March 31, 2023.

    Rajan Amba commented on his appointment, “I have immensely enjoyed my stint at Tata Motors and look forward to the next one at Jaguar Land Rover – iconic automotive brands, which I hugely admire. I keenly look forward to working with my new team at Jaguar Land Rover India and steering forward our future growth strategy.”

    Martin Limpert, Regional Director, Overseas, Jaguar Land Rover said, “Rajan’s customer-centric mindset, broad experiences from different industries, and his passionate and authentic leadership approach bring the right set of qualities to further grow our operations into the promising future of India, aligned with our overall Reimagine strategy to become the creator of the world’s most desirable luxury vehicles and services for the most discerning of customers.”

    Jaguar Land Rover India is one of the key luxury car marques in India and offers a range of products across the two brands. In the last couple of years, the company launched some exciting products in India, including the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace, the new-gen Land Rover Defender, and the new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport in the country.

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  • Jaguar Land Rover Trials World-First Digital Supply Chain For Leather

    Jaguar Land Rover Trials World-First Digital Supply Chain For Leather

    Jaguar Land Rover has trialed the use of secure blockchain technology to ensure full transparency within a sustainable leather supply chain. In a world-first, Jaguar Land Rover partnered with supply chain traceability provider Circular, leading UK leather manufacturer Bridge of Weir Leather Company and the University of Nottingham to trial the use of traceability technology in the leather supply chain. As well as tracking compliance, the digital process enabled Jaguar Land Rover to assess the carbon footprint of its leather supply network, working with UK-based Bridge of Weir Leather Company to trace its lowest carbon leather from farm to the finished article – all part of Jaguar Land Rover’s commitment to reducing the environmental and ethical impact of its products across their lifecycle.

    Jaguar Land Rover is committed to offering customers more sustainable and responsible material choices for their vehicle interiors, such as the premium natural fibre Eucalyptus textile interior available on Range Rover Evoque, and Kvadrat – a refined high-quality wool blend textile that’s paired with a suede cloth made from 53 recycled plastic bottles per vehicle – available on Evoque, Range Rover Velar and Jaguar’s all-electric I-Pace

    As part of the Innovate UK-funded research, a ‘digital twin’ of the raw material was created, allowing its progress to be tracked through the leather supply chain simultaneously in the real world and digitally. A combination of GPS data, biometrics and QR codes was used to digitally verify the movement of leather at every step of the process using blockchain technology.

    Defining the verification process has created a repeatable blueprint for tracing a single piece of leather at every stage. It can be used across Jaguar Land Rover’s global supply chain and by other industries that rely on leather, such as fashion and footwear.

    The project is part of Jaguar Land Rover’s Reimagine strategy: a sustainability-rich combination of modern luxury, unique customer experiences, and positive societal impact.

    Reimagine aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its supply chain, products and operations by 2039. Jaguar Land Rover will work with industry experts to improve sustainability, reduce emissions and collaborate on next-generation technology, data and software development leadership.

    Dave Owen, Jaguar Land Rover Executive Director of Supply Chain, said: “We are currently restructuring our supply chain as part of Reimagine, with a focus on transparency and sustainability. The outcome from this world-first trial will allow us to further improve the sustainability of the leather supply chain around the globe, ensuring the complete traceability of raw materials from origin to vehicle.

    Through InMotion, its venture capital and mobility services arm, Jaguar Land Rover previously announced an investment in Circulor, allowing the company to source premium materials with greater transparency as to the provenance, welfare, and compliance of suppliers throughout its networks.

    The technology could be deployed to trace other commodities. Circulor is already using blockchain to improve the traceability of minerals used for electric vehicle batteries. Blockchain technology is impossible to modify or tamper with, giving customers greater confidence that the sustainable supply chain is authentic, and all materials have been sustainably sourced.

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  • Jaguar XF Joins The Land Rover Defender In The Latest James Bond Flick No Time To Die

    Jaguar XF Joins The Land Rover Defender In The Latest James Bond Flick No Time To Die

    Jaguar Land Rover are one of the official partners for the latest James Bond flick, No Time To Die. The movie has been awaiting a release for a while but the 25th Bond film and finally hit the theatres globally including India on September 30, 2021. The movie will see actor Daniel Craig reprise his role as the MI6 agent for the last time, and joining him will be a slew of JLR cars including the Land Rover Defender as well as the Jaguar XF. In fact, it’s for the first time that the XF will feature in the 007 universe.

    Without sharing any spoilers, Jaguar tells us that the XF will be part of a thrilling chase sequence. The filming for this sequence took place in Matera in the south of Italy, with two XF saloons weaving through the narrow, twisting city streets, driving across piazzas and down cobbled steps in pursuit of the agent. It’s also a part of a few scenes shot in London.

    Chris Corbould, No Time To Die’s special effects and action vehicle supervisor, said, “The Jaguar XF was an exciting choice for this high-intensity car sequence. We always look to push the boundaries to extreme limits in our stunts, and this extends to the capabilities of the vehicles too. There is no compromise with this particular scene. There were only inches to spare in the narrow alleyways and no margin for error, the XF shows its performance and driving dynamics.”

    Anna Gallagher, Jaguar Brand Director, said, “The Jaguar XF is a car designed to tackle any journey with an unrivalled balance of luxury, comfort and refinement. Whether it’s a high-speed pursuit through twisting streets and piazzas of Southern Italy, where the car filmed it’s No Time To Die chase sequences, or the bustling streets of London – the XF really is a car for every occasion.”

    Apart from the Jaguar XF, the new Land Rover Defender will also be a part of the movie along with Triumph Motorcycles, and of course, Aston Martin cars. No Time To Die is now playing in theatres worldwide.
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  • Julian Thomson Steps Down As Jaguar’s Director Of Design

    Julian Thomson Steps Down As Jaguar’s Director Of Design

    Julian Thomson, Design Director at Jaguar, has resigned and will be leaving the company at the end of this month. An internal memo revealed that he will leave Jaguar for exploring other exciting opportunities. He took over the reins at Jaguar Design after Ian Callum’s departure in 2019 and was tasked with establishing the future strategic design direction for the brand. He worked on production models, updated models and concepts cars as well. He was responsible for the design of various cars from Jaguar such as XK, XF, XJ, F-TYPE, XE, F-Pace, E-Pace, and Jaguar’s first-ever electric vehicle – the I-Pace as well. We have reached out to Jaguar Land Rover for a comment on the same, and the company is yet to respond.

    Thomson also served as the head of design at Lotus and was the brains behind the design of the famous Lotus Elise. He was appointed as Chief of Exteriors at the Volkswagen Group’s Concept Design Centre in Barcelona in 1998 and worked on production and concept vehicle design for various brands under the Volkswagen umbrella such as Audi, Bentley, Seat, and VW itself. Julian joined Jaguar in 2000 as Advanced Design Director and also served as Advanced Design Director for Land Rover between 2006 and 2008.

    Thomson studied Mechanical Engineering at Hatfield University before completing an MA in Automotive Design at the Royal College of Art. He began his automotive industry career in 1984 as a designer at Ford in Dunton, England, before moving to Lotus Design in Norwich in 1986. In the recent past, Former JLR CEO, Professor Ralf Speth moved to TVS Motor Company as the chairman while Wayne Burgess, yet another designer who had worked with Jaguar before was appointed as the Head of Vehicle Design at Ola Electric.

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  • Jaguar I-Pace Black Edition Unveiled

    Jaguar I-Pace Black Edition Unveiled

    Jaguar has added a new Black Edition in the I-Pace range for the SE and HSE variants. The Black package adds a dark, glossy finish to the grille, mirror caps, window surrounds, and rear badges, while the 20-inch, five-spoke wheels are finished a gloss black look as well. And even the Black Badge Edition is available in all body colors that you generally see on the Jaguar I-Pace. On the inside, there are Ebony leather sports seats and a matching headliner. The cabin trim is finished in gloss black. A full panoramic roof and privacy glass are also part of the package.

    Needless to say, mechanically the Jaguar I-Pace Black Edition remains unchanged. It is powered by electric motors making a total of 390 bhp and 696 Nm of peak torque. There’s an 11-kilowatt onboard charger and 100-kilowatt DC fast charger. According to Jaguar, the base version of the I-Pace can cover 286.2 miles or 460.6 km on a charge. The SE Black brings down this figure to 279.9 miles or 450.5 km, and the HSE Black offers 279.0 miles or 449 km of rang on a full.

    Jaguar had also introduced the Black Badge edition recently and the new I-Pace’s Black edition follows up on the same styling language. The theme is largely the same by adding lots of glossy, dark accents to the sports car. Deliveries of fhe standard Jaguar I-Pace will start in May this year and we expect Jaguar to introduce the I-Pace Black Edition in our market soon.

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  • Jaguar I-Pace India Launch Rescheduled, Dealer Network Gets Charging Stations Ahead Of Launch

    Jaguar I-Pace India Launch Rescheduled, Dealer Network Gets Charging Stations Ahead Of Launch

    The Jaguar I-Pace was originally scheduled for launch on March 9. However, the company has now announced that the wait will be a tad longer by a few weeks with the launch rescheduled to March 23, 2021. The I-Pace will be India’s second luxury electric offering after the Mercedes-Benz EQC and is likely to be priced around ₹ 1 crore (ex-showroom) mark. On the bright side, Jaguar Land Rover India also announced that 22 of its dealerships across 19 cities are ready with charging stations to support the brand’s first electric offering.

    JLR India says the retailer charging infrastructure extensively covers the metro cities and key urban hubs across the country. In addition, the dealer staff has been trained by the automaker on EVs, which enable them to answer all queries and concerns of the customer.

    Rohit Suri, President & Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India said, “Electric Vehicles will not just be a new mobility solution, but owning one will also be a new ownership experience. We recognise this and have worked relentlessly with our Retailers to ensure that owning an EV is truly a hassle-free experience for our customers.”

    At present, about 35 EV chargers have been installed at JLR dealerships pan India and the company is in the process of installing more. In addition, the Jaguar I-Pace can be charged Tata Power’s EZ Charge Network with over 200 charging points across the country located at malls, residential complexes and highways. In addition, Jaguar India will set-up a 7.4 kW AC wall-mounted charger for customers using a domestic charging cable.

    The Jaguar I-Pace marks a new era for the automaker, which plans to go all-electric by 2025. The model will be powered by twin electric motors developing 394 bhp and 696 Nm of peak torque. The range stands at 480 km on a single charge from the 90 kWh lithium-ion battery. 0-100 kmph comes up in 4.8 seconds. The electric offering will be available in three variants – S, SE, and HSE.

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  • Jaguar Land Rover To Cut 2,000 Jobs Globally

    Jaguar Land Rover To Cut 2,000 Jobs Globally

    Jaguar Land Rover said on Wednesday it would cut 2,000 jobs from its global salaried workforce, just days after announcing its luxury Jaguar brand will be entirely electric by 2025 and e-models of its entire lineup will be launched by 2030. “The full review of the Jaguar Land Rover organization is already underway,” the company said in an emailed statement. “We anticipate a net reduction of around 2,000 people from our global salaried workforce in the next financial year,” it said.

    However, it added that the organizational review did not impact hourly paid, manufacturing employees. JLR, owned by India’s Tata Motors, said earlier that its Land Rover brand will launch six fully electric models over the next five years, with the first in 2024.

    Known for its iconic, high-performance E-Type model in the 1960s and 1970s, Jaguar faces the same challenges as many other carmakers as it transitions to electric vehicles while trying to retain the feeling and power of a luxury combustion engine model.

    Last month, Tata Motors said it was concerned by semiconductor shortages and Brexit-related supply disruptions as its luxury car sales recover, although the Indian automaker added these had not yet hit production.

    Tata Motors posted three straight quarters of losses as the COVID-19 crisis dented sales, exacerbating uncertainties over Britain’s exit from the European Union, weak demand and rising costs, but had bounced back to clock a profit in its third-quarter to the end of December. The 2,000 reductions in JLR’s non-factory jobs was reported earlier on Wednesday.

  • Audi Dealership Destroyed In The Beirut Explosion

    Audi Dealership Destroyed In The Beirut Explosion

    It’s been over a week since the explosion at the Beirut port in Lebanon, and the damage to the people, economy and the city at large is insurmountable. The extent of the destruction is devastatingly visible in the form of this Audi dealership that’s been reduced to rubble in the aftermath. The image shared by Hildegard Wortmann – Member of the Board of Management of Audi AG for Marketing and Sales, shows the completely destroyed dealership surrounded by towers on either side with shattered glass. She further revealed that while the employees at the dealership are safe, many of them have lost their homes. Not just Audi but most auto dealerships and other businesses in areas close to the port have been destroyed due to the blast.

    In a post on social media, Hildegard Wortmann wrote, “It is with great sorrow that I wish to express my deepest sympathy to our Audi team in Beirut and to everybody there who is suffering from this unbelievable tragedy. I have been in contact with Nabil Kettaneh, who is our Audi importer and partner in Beirut, immediately the morning after and so grateful to hear that everybody is safe while our dealership has been completely destroyed. Many of our team have lost their homes and their families have been impacted. Your grief is the grief of the whole Audi family worldwide. Our thoughts and compassion are with you and the victims’ families. May strength and confidence be with you!”

    In fact, images and videos which emerged on the internet further show massive destruction to homes and cars. A video of what appears to be a dealership parking lot in the city shows damaged Audi vehicles that were ready to be delivered to customers, adding millions to the overall damage. Not just Audi, but other automakers have suffered equal levels of destruction. Carmakers including Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Suzuki, Ford, Seat among others took to social media to show support for the city.

    The extent of damages as a result of the explosion has been estimated at about $10 billion so far and the number is only expected to go higher, according to a report by Bloomberg. As of August 11, the blast resulted in over 200 fatalities and 110 people are missing, with over 6000 injured. The explosion has also rendered over 200,000 people homeless or living with homes with shattered windows and doors. Beirut was also home to several refugees in the Middle-East that have once again been rendered homeless amidst the massive crisis.

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  • Jaguar Land Rover Appoints Thierry Bollore As New Chief Executive Officer

    Jaguar Land Rover Appoints Thierry Bollore As New Chief Executive Officer

    British automaker Jaguar Land Rover has appointed Thierry Bollore as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the company has announced. The former Renault executive succeeds Ralf Speth at JLR and will assume office from September 10, 2020. Speth has moved to the position of Non-Executive Vice Chairman at Jaguar Land Rover plc, as previously announced, after serving as the CEO since 2010. Bollore joins the Tata Group company during one of its turbulent times as the British marque is looking at possible solutions to sustain the dynamically changing global automotive landscape.

    Speaking on the appointment, N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons said, “I am delighted to welcome Thierry to Jaguar Land Rover. An established global business leader with a proven track record of implementing complex transformations, Thierry will bring a wealth of experience to one of the most revered positions in the industry.  I want to thank Ralf for a decade of outstanding vision and leadership for Jaguar Land Rover and welcome him to his new Non-Executive position in addition to his existing role on the board of Tata Sons.”

    Commenting on his appointment, Thierry Bollore said, “Jaguar Land Rover is known around the world for its peerless brand heritage, exquisite design and deep engineering integrity. It will be my privilege to lead this fantastic company through what continues to be the most testing time of our generation. Renowned for their passion and spirit, the people of Jaguar Land Rover are the driving force behind its success. I couldn’t be more excited to join the team continuing to shape the future of this iconic company.”

    Thierry Bollore has extensive expertise in the automotive sector and has previously served as the CEO of Groupe Renault, as well as in senior positions at global automotive supplier Faurecia. During his stint with the different firms, Bollore has gained extensive experience in conceptualizing and developing a customer focussed strategy, optimizing operations, improving quality control, and more.

    These experiences will be important as JLR looks for a transformative strategy. The automaker that produces about 500,000 vehicles per year is looking at optimizing operations to improve productivity and profitability. It has also been working on new technologies including electric mobility, autonomous tech, and shared mobility.

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  • Jaguar Land Rover To Cut 10 Per Cent Of Workforce At UK Halewood Factory

    Jaguar Land Rover To Cut 10 Per Cent Of Workforce At UK Halewood Factory

    British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said on Wednesday it will cut around 10% of the workforce at its northern English Halewood factory as it changes shift patterns to boost efficiency at the site. The Unite Union said the cuts were linked to slower than forecast growth of the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport vehicles, which are made at the plant. The company said the decision was not related to the loss of volumes.

    JLR posted a 6% decline in 2019 sales, hit by the weakening Chinese autos market and falling demand for diesel vehicles in Europe. But it has bounced back in China in recent months and overall company sales rose by 1.3% in December.

    “Jaguar Land Rover is taking action to optimize performance, enable sustainable growth and safeguard the long-term success of our business,” the company said in a statement.

    “Central to the Halewood manufacturing strategy, we are moving from a three-shift to a “two-plus” shift pattern from April 2020.”

    Around 4,5000 people work at the Halewood factory, one of three of JLR’s car factories in Britain, with roughly 500 jobs affected by Wednesday’s announcement.

    JLR, like much of the car industry, has also faced the challenge of stepping up investment in zero and low-emissions vehicles as regulations tighten while simultaneously dealing with a drop in demand for some conventionally-powered models.

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  • Jaguar Land Rover Chief Wants Alliances, Not A Merger

    Jaguar Land Rover Chief Wants Alliances, Not A Merger

    Luxury automaker Jaguar Land Rover’s chief executive told Reuters he is open to more alliances to lower the costs of developing technology but is not looking for a full-blown corporate merger. “We feel the pressure” from demands to slash carbon emissions and develop electric vehicles, Jaguar Land Rover chief Ralf Speth said in an interview on the sidelines of the Los Angeles auto show.

    But to the question of whether the company and its parent, Tata Motors Ltd. are seeking a merger for Jaguar Land Rover, Speth said: “The answer is no. We can really survive on our own.”

    The British luxury sedan and SUV maker is “always open” to discussions of technology alliances and component sharing with other companies, Speth said. Earlier this year, the maker of Jaguar sedans and Land Rover SUVs agreed with German luxury automaker BMW AG to develop electric car parts jointly.

    Jaguar Land Rover currently sells an electric Jaguar I-Pace sport utility vehicle and has said the next generation of its top-of-the-line XJ sedan will be all-electric. The company has not said when it will launch the new XJ.

    “There’s no question in our mind that electric is the drive train of the future,” Eberhardt said. “But from a customer adoption point of view it takes longer than anticipated.”

    Jaguar Land Rover has a product lineup, including hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles, which could meet tighter European CO2 emissions limits which begin taking effect next year, but compliance will depend on the mix of vehicles customers buy, Speth said.

    “In Europe, the mix (of vehicles) is encouraging, but not at the moment at the level we can say we are compliant right at the beginning,” he said. “But there is time to go. We are cautiously optimistic.”

    A lack of public electric vehicle recharging infrastructure remains a challenge in selling electric vehicles in the U.S. and Europe, Eberhardt and Speth said.

    Jaguar Land Rover was unprofitable through the first half of its fiscal year ended Sept. 30, hit by Brexit-related production shutdowns and weaker demand in China. But Speth said the second half of the year should be better than the first.

    Demand in the Chinese market is volatile, though Jaguar Land Rover sales have seen “double-digit growth” in recent months, Speth said. But that growth has been from a low volume. Speth said he receives data on the Chinese market daily.

    Speth and JLR North America chief Joe Eberhardt were at the Los Angeles Auto Show for the North American launch of the Land Rover Defender, a modern reincarnation of sport utility vehicles identified with African safari adventures and British country estates.

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  • BlackBerry To Offer Cybersecurity For Future Jaguar Land Rover Model

    BlackBerry To Offer Cybersecurity For Future Jaguar Land Rover Model

    Jaguar Land Rover and technology firm BlackBerry today announced the expansion of the companies’ corporate partnership to develop next-generation intelligent vehicles for the carmaker. As part of the extended collaboration, the BlackBerry, a trusted security software and services company, will help JLR develop future-ready vehicle safety technology for the automotive market. The company will share its Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies like – BlackBerry QNX and BlackBerry Cylance, to develop vehicle safety systems, with a range of capabilities like – predictive software maintenance and cybersecurity threat protection.

    For instance, the BlackBerry QNX, an integrating software will be used to help develop Jaguar Land Rover’s next-generation vehicle architecture, making it safer. On the other hand, its consultants and security testing technology, BlackBerry Cybersecurity Consulting services will help identify security vulnerabilities in connected and autonomous vehicles, across the full software library used in a vehicle.

    Speaking about the partnership Ralf D Speth, Jaguar Land Rover CEO, said “Jaguar Land Rover and BlackBerry share a common objective in bringing the most intelligent vehicles to reality. I am delighted that our partnership with BlackBerry continues to go from strength-to-strength, a company whose technology innovations uniquely address the expanding safety needs of the automotive industry.”

    As for John Chen, Executive Chairman & CEO, BlackBerry, he said, “BlackBerry is a trusted partner of the automotive industry because of our heritage and innovations in secure communications. We are pleased to be Jaguar Land Rover’s chosen partner for safety-certified technology, as we advance Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies to transform automotive safety.”

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  • Jaguar And Audi Are Having A Really Hard Time Beating Tesla In The US

    Jaguar And Audi Are Having A Really Hard Time Beating Tesla In The US

    It’s a trope that’s been around roughly as long as Elon Musk has been in the car business: When a new electric vehicle is unveiled, it’s dubbed a potential “Tesla killer.”

    But from the flaming-out of Fisker to present day, Tesla has largely dominated the American electric-vehicle market. Musk has even managed to expand the company’s preeminence over the still small segment despite two new battery-powered luxury SUVs arriving in U.S. showrooms the last 10 months: Jaguar’s I-Pace and Audi’s e-tron.

    Their starts are the latest indications that legacy automakers aren’t assured instant success when they roll out new plug-in models. Tesla’s Model S and X have largely held its own against the two crossovers that offer a shorter range and less plentiful public charging infrastructure. Jaguar and Audi also lack the cool factor Musk has cultivated for the Tesla brand by taking an aggressive approach to autonomy and using over-the-air software updates to add games and entertainment features.

    “If a customer is choosing the I-Pace over the comparable Tesla, they are making the conscious decision: I don’t want the Tesla,” said Ed Kim, an analyst at the car-market research and consulting firm AutoPacific. “You really have to be someone who doesn’t like Tesla, who doesn’t want the Tesla product, in order to go for this.”

    Tesla’s Model X and Model S each boast more than 300 miles of range, and the cheaper Model 3 travels 240 miles between charges. Jaguar’s $69,500 I-Pace is rated at 234 miles, and Audi’s $74,800 e-tron registers 204 miles.

    Jaguar’s marketing team spent years laying the groundwork to introduce the I-Pace. In 2016, the brand joined Formula E, an open-wheeled, electric-powered race circuit similar to Formula One.

    “We had an electric car in our development plan – the I-Pace – at the time,” said James Barclay, Jaguar’s racing director. “We had to create awareness about the fact that we had an electric car coming to market, firstly, and to showcase why you’d buy a Jaguar electric vehicle over something else.”

    Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are also joining Formula E for the 2019-2020 season to help generate buzz for the new all-electric models they have coming out. The circuit makes stops in cities including New York, Hong Kong and London, which the brands are banking on as major markets for plug-in cars.

    “City centers are where there’s going to be a really good application for electric vehicles,” said Kim McCullough, Jaguar Land Rover’s vice president of marketing for North America. “So having them be able to see something firsthand – it starts the education process.”

    But while Formula E is drawing crowds of urban dwellers and a substantial audience on social media, all that buzz may not necessarily translate into showroom traffic.

    “Auto racing really comes as one of the last influencers, in terms of influencing people to buy whatever car they’re looking at,” according to AutoPacific’s Kim. If Jaguar is doing well in Formula E, it couldn’t hurt the I-Pace, he said. “But I don’t think it would have a huge positive impact on awareness of the vehicle.”

    Jaguar has sold an average of about 190 I-Pace crossovers a month since U.S. sales began. Tesla, by comparison, was delivering Model Xs at a clip of about 550 a month in its first year on the market, beginning in 2015, according to InsideEVs.com estimates.

    The Audi e-tron has been on the market in the U.S. for only four months, but during that time, it has averaged sales of about 745 units, InsideEVs estimates. In July, 3.5% of Audi’s U.S. sales were all-electric, and the company expects that number to climb to 30% by 2025.

    “We are confident that we are and will continue to deliver an offering that customers will want to be part of,” Cian O’Brien, the interim president, and chief operating officer of Audi of America, said in an email.

    After initial efforts to nab electric-car buyers proved challenging, Jaguar has decided to attack Tesla head-on.

    The brand is offering Tesla owners a $3,000 discount on the I-Pace for the next month and a half. “This is all about capturing a share of voice,” Stuart Schorr, a Jaguar Land Rover spokesman, said in an email. “The EV market is just at its infancy.”

    “Consumers, as a result of seeing our race program, do consider us to be a car brand they would consider for their electric car purchase,” said Barclay, the racing director. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, and for a premium automotive manufacturer with their first electric vehicle, it takes time in the market.”

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