Range Rover Evoque launched in Qatar

Alfardan Premier Motors Company, the exclusive importer of Land Rover in Qatar, has launched the latest edition to the Range Rover line-up - the long anticipated Range Rover Evoque - at a glittering ceremony at the newly renovated Land Rover showroom.

The smallest, lightest and most fuel efficient model to date, the Range Rover Evoque coupé and the Range Rover Evoque five-door are now available at Land Rover showroom in Qatar initially in two stylish design themes: the luxurious ‘Prestige’, and the bold and sporting ‘Dynamic’.

The launch coincided with the inauguration of the newly renovated Land Rover showroom at Alfardan Plaza at Al Sadd Street.



The showroom is a true embodiment of the prestigious Land Rover image, feel and style which allow customers to revel in a unique experience of their favourite brand. The showroom also showcases a computerised platform for personal configuration of vehicles to suit each client’s individual taste.

Since the unique LRX concept car was first unveiled in March 2009, the Range Rover Evoque has been turning heads the world over, with more than 32,000 pre-orders from customers - 80 % of the customers being new to the Range Rover brand - eager to be among the first to own the newest Range Rover.

Robin Colgan, managing director, Jaguar Land Rover MENAP, said: “The Range Rover Evoque is designed to bring the exclusivity of Range Rover to a brand new audience. We are extremely proud of the Evoque’s early and spectacular success worldwide, and we expect it to be our best selling model globally, an astonishing feat for a new model in a new sector. I firmly believe that the Evoque is proof of Land Rover’s historic ability to constantly innovate and define new segments, and I am excited to introduce the latest edition to the Range Rover line-up to customers in Qatar.”

The special occasion witnessed the attendance of senior representatives of Land Rover, VIPs and Alfardan Premier Motors Company management team.

Rabih Ataya, general manager, Alfardan Premier Motors, said: “We are very pleased to inform the Range Rover Evoque has received an overwhelmingly positive response from Qatar customers so far, with pre-orders far exceeding expectations.”



The Evoque boasts a vast range of comfort and convenience technologies to choose from such as the 825W 17-speaker Meridian surround system, the innovative dual-view touch screen display, television, rear-seat entertainment, an advanced park assist automated parking system and powered tailgate.

Source: Gulf Times

Jaguar Drive Experience Arrives in Houston

Jaguar North America invites Houston area car enthusiasts to the "Jaguar Drive Experience" - a complimentary two hour performance driving event, with the latest Jaguar cars. This event will take place at the Sam Houston Race Park from December 8 through 11.



Professional racing drivers and performance driving instructors will introduce attendees to advanced driving techniques, before putting this knowledge into practice behind the wheel.

This is a rare opportunity to have a first class drive experience behind the wheel of the 2012 Jaguar XJ, the all-aluminum sports sedan flagship from Jaguar.

During your two-hour driving session - guests will experience the following:

• An autocross and dynamic driving course which showcases the performance of a modern rear-wheel drive vehicle equipped with Electronic Stability Control.
• A slalom handling course to experience grip, weight transfer, and stability at the limit of cornering adhesion.
• A skidpad to demonstrate at the maximum lateral G handling. 
• An accident avoidance course to show the responsiveness of the chassis under high speed transitions.
• The acceleration/braking course to highlight the power of the Jaguar V8 engine, and the extraordinary stopping ability of the braking system.
• A multi-surface driving demonstration course to showcase the exceptional ride quality and comfort. 
• A street drive in the all-aluminum Jaguar flagship the 2012 Jaguar XJ.

Reservation dates and times are available on the RSVP web site.

In the event of rain, we will be conducting wet weather driving exercises.

For those interested in attending, please RSVP at the following link: http://www.rsvpjaguar.com/texas



Note: You must be at least 21 years of age to attend or participate in this event and possess a valid driver's license. Only those who have completed this online form will be admitted to the event and space is limited.

JLR may develop Jaguar-based car with Chery logo

Jaguar Land Rover Plc (JLR) has agreed in principle with China's Chery Automobile to develop a luxury car based on its Jaguar models that may carry a Chery or a new marque in order to win Chinese government approval for a manufacturing venture, a Chinese newspaper reported on Wednesday.



Britain-based JLR, a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors Ltd, had previously explored cooperations with Chinese partners, including Great Wall Motor Co Ltd , but made little headway.

"The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) made it very clear that in order to get approval for the project to go ahead, the two sides must have substantial cooperation, not just adding new capacity," the 21st Century Business Herold said, citing an unnamed source.

The NDRC has the power to approve or block major foreign joint venture projects.

A proposed tie-up between Chery and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd to make Subaru vehicles in China hit regulatory snags because the deal was ruled to lack substance, according to the source.

The newspaper said a car co-developed by JLR and Chery would carry either a Chery logo or a joint venture logo and the two sides might also collaborate on green vehicles.

Chery and JLR executives could not immediately be reached for comment.

Source: Reuters

TATA Motors top Indian company for research - European Commission

Automobile giant TATA Motors has pipped giants like Reliance Industries and Infosys to become India's top ranked company for research and development as per a list compiled by the European Commission.

In its annual R&D Scorecard of the companies from across the world, the European Union's executive body European Commission has ranked TATA Motors at the top among the 18 Indian companies on its list, compiled on the basis for investment towards R&D and business innovation initiatives.



Among Indian firms, TATA Motors is followed by IT firms Prithvi Information Solutions and Polaris Software, state run BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals) and another auto giant Mahindra & Mahindra in the top-five.

IT giant Infosys is placed at 10th position among the Indian firms, followed by Mr Mukesh Ambani led retail to energy titan Reliance Industries at 11th position.

Pharma giant Dr Reddy's Laboratories is at 8th, while the country's most valued PSU and oil major ONGC is at 17th.

Other Indian firms on the list include Kpit Cummins Info (6th among companies from India), Zylog Systems (7th), Lupin (9th), Core Projects & Technologies (12th), Bharat Electronics (13th), Ashok Leyland (14th), Cipla (15th), Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (16th) and FCS Software Solutions (18th).

The global list is topped by Swiss pharma giant Roche, followed by American drugmaker Pfizer, software giant Microsoft, Japanese auto giant Toyota and US based pharma major Merck in the top-five positions.

Land Rover Planning Longer Grand Evoque

Just the Facts:

• Land Rover is planning a bigger version of the Range Rover Evoque.
• The new SUV is part of a grand scheme to launch no fewer than 40 new models over the next five years.
• Growing sales of the BMW X and Audi Q models are encouraging Land Rover to broaden its Range Rover sub-brand lineup by developing a model to sit between the recently launched Evoque and the Range Rover Sport.

2012 Range Rover Evoque

Land Rover is planning a bigger version of the Range Rover Evoque SUV as part of a grand scheme to launch no fewer than 40 new models over the next five years.

Land Rover's expansion is seeing proposals that will take the marque into new niches, and some are taking precedence over similar projects at sister brand Jaguar because the potential sales and profits are greater, suggest insiders.

Growing sales of the BMW X and Audi Q models are also encouraging Land Rover to broaden its Range Rover sub-brand lineup by developing a model to sit between the recently launched Evoque and the Range Rover Sport. That gap is expected to widen as both the Range Rover Sport and the flagship Range Rover shift further upmarket with their upcoming renewal.

The XL edition of the Evoque is likely to be based on the same LR-MS architecture as the existing model, which was developed from the Ford EU-CD platform that provides the foundation of the LR2. The inherent packaging efficiency of this architecture is likely to yield a decently scaled cabin, particularly for rear-seat passengers.

In terms of a design theme, the starting point for the new model is believed to be a "Grand Evoque," although Land Rover will doubtless be anxious to give the car a distinctive visual and functional character of its own, not least to limit sales cannibalization from other models.

An underbody stretch of around 12 inches would provide some of the increased accommodation, with half the extra length between the axles and the rest allocated to the rear overhang and an enlarged trunk. Land Rover may consider a third row of seats as an option that could usefully widen the appeal of this mid-market Range Rover and provide a particular reason to buy it.



The powertrain lineup would likely be built around the new range of four-cylinder engines that Jaguar Land Rover is to develop for production at a new site in the U.K. These are thought to include a 1.8-liter direct-injection turbo producing as much as 170 horsepower. JLR's hybrid development program should also allow a twin-motor version of the Grand Evoque.

Expect a higher percentage of lightweight elements in this car as JLR explores mixed material structures as part of a weight-saving campaign vital to satisfying tightening U.S. CAFE requirements.

The XL Evoque is likely to be assembled in the U.K. alongside the standard Evoque, the LR2 and the new small Jaguar sedan, all of them built on variations of the same architecture. Deriving four models from this platform will potentially yield JLR profitable economies of scale that it has never before achieved, and will make this smaller family of cars a cornerstone of its business.

Source: Inside Line