3 1 JULY 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 9
J
aguar is plotting two
small crossovers to grow
its SUV family as it looks
to bolster waning sales
- and they could ultimately be
built on BMW platforms as part
of increasing ties between the
two firms.
The deal between the two
companies, which started
with joint work on electric
drive unit (EDU) development,
also opens up the prospect
of the introduction of a new
entry-level Land Rover model
alongside next-generation
versions of the recently
replaced Range Rover Evoque
and Land Rover Discovery
Sport built off the BMW
architecture.
The blossoming alliance
between Jaguar Land Rover
(JLR) and BMW has already
expanded. Autocar sourceshave recently revealed that
the German car maker is set
to supply JLR with four
and six-cylinder internal
combustion engines in both
standard and hybrid form.
That move to sharing
engines has now opened the
real possibility that JLR and
BMW are aligning themselves
to take a much bigger step:
sharing an advanced small
car platform.
A pair of super-economical
baby Jaguars – already in the
early stages of development
pending a green light for
production in the middle of
the next decade – could now
be based on BMW’s new
FAAR platform for front-
wheel-drive models.
The two new models are
expected to be a small SUV
and a similarly sized coupé
crossover and they are likely to
carry the ‘Pace’ name as part
of the firm’s SUV family.
In addition, the next-
generation Range Rover
Evoque and Land Rover
Discovery Sport models, which
are due in the second half of
the next decade, could be
sibling vehicles to the next-
generation Mini Countryman
and BMW X1 models in a further
deepening of the alliance.
An expansion into platform
sharing also opens the
way for JLR to build the
long-rumoured entry-level
Land Rover model, which,
as Autocar revealed early
last year, could revive the
Freelander name.
THE BMW DEAL
Meeting challenging EU CO 2
fleet regulations by 2025 is a
race against time for JLR. The
company is hampered by a
collapsing market in China as
well as massive investments in
the new MLA architecture for
its larger models, factory refits
and the launch of a number
of new models. The firm
lost £395 million in the last
financial quarter but believes
those new models will boost
fortunes. These include the
reborn Land Rover Defender,
electric Jaguar XJ, fifth-genRange Rover, new Jaguar
J-Pace SUV, and a new electric
Range Rover crossover.
The engine collaboration
came hot on the heels of the
surprise announcement in
June about plans for JLR and
BMW to co-operate on the
development of powertrains
for future pure-electric and
electrified vehicles.
When that deal was
announced, Nick Rogers,
JLR’s engineering chief, said:
“It was clear from discussions
with BMW Group that both ◊
`
The blossoming alliance between
JLR and BMW has expanded
beyond electric drive units
a
New Jag SUV (far
left) and crossoverwill join Pace line-up