Jaguar Land Rover has revealed that it plans to make Land Rover SUVs in India for the local market and for exports. According to reports, the British luxury vehicle unit of Tata Motors is discussing internally and with component vendors about the possibility of making a mini version of the Defender in India by 2019-20. At present, the company has a facility on the outskirts of Pune to assemble luxury saloons and SUVs from imported kits. Indian buyers have been increasingly choosing SUVs over luxury sedans, and a mini-Defender would be just right for the company to cater to that growing demand. The Indian market stands to benefit from the local production of marquee brands like Land Rover, giving an additional fillip to the country’s image as a manufacturing base for automobiles. After its 2008 acquisition by Tata Motors, JLR had studied the possibility of manufacturing its vehicles in India, but the plans couldn’t materialise earlier owing to doubts over parts supplies.
