JLR sees India as key growth market, to launch first EV in 2027: MD

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) sees India as a key growth market and plans to introduce its first electric vehicles here in 2027, including the Range Rover Electric and Range Rover Sport Electric, as the luxury automaker looks to tap emerging opportunities in the premium EV segment, its India Managing Director and CEO Rajan Amba said.

In an interview to PTI, Amba shared that the company will also introduce the new Jaguar GT next year, with the product launches spread across different periods.
"Electric is the way forward," he said, adding that the timing was appropriate for the company to enter the Indian electric vehicle market.
JLR India, which does not have an electric vehicle in its portfolio, is encouraged by the growth witnessed in the EV market over the past year across both premium and more accessible segments.

The luxury automaker plans to import the electric models to test their market response initially.
"We've seen brands in the more accessible segments also gain, and I think that we should also see a lot of benefit from it," Amba said.
He, however, said it was too early to draw conclusions about the potential response to JLR's electric offerings in India, given that the company would be entering the segment for the first time.

Amba said the pace of electric vehicle adoption varied across countries and consumer groups, with charging infrastructure and resale value remaining important considerations for buyers.
"There's a lot of infrastructure work to be done. There's a lot of peace of mind to be given to customers in terms of charging infrastructure, in terms of resale values, etc., but all of that has been improving, infrastructure-wise, resale value-wise," he said.

He noted that the foundational elements of the Indian EV market were getting stronger, aided by improvements in infrastructure and initiatives by the Centre and state governments, including incentives for electric cars.
"For us, it's been on the cards as a global company. There was always a plan to launch electric, and I think the timing for us is going to be good," he said.
Beyond its upcoming electric vehicle launches, JLR is looking to strengthen its presence in India through an expansion of its retail network and improved customer accessibility.

The company expects to increase its retail outlets to 40 by the end of this year from 25 a year ago, Amba said, adding that the expansion, along with competitive price points, would support its growth strategy.
"Certainly we see India as a growth market. That's for sure," he said.
Amba said the company's order banks remained healthy and monthly order intake continued to be strong. JLR India generally sees stronger business in the second half of the year because of the way its supply chain is structured.

On the impact of the India-UK free trade agreement (FTA), he said the company had witnessed a surge in demand following price reductions on certain models.
Amba cited the example of a vehicle whose price had come down from around Rs 4.25 crore to Rs 3.5 crore following the revision.
However, he cautioned that it was too early to assess the full impact of the trade agreement, as only a few months had passed since the revised prices came into effect.

He said the company would need to complete a full 12-month period to compare sales growth with the corresponding period before the FTA and arrive at a more definitive assessment of the impact.
On the Defender brand, Amba indicated that JLR expected around 20 per cent growth in orders from current levels due to localisation, while clarifying that the projection was specific to the brand. The aim is to pass the benefit of localisation to the customers as done in past during Range Rover localisation, Amba stressed. - PTI