Jaguar XE & Land Rover Discovery to highlight the UK carmaker’s future growth

The upcoming Jaguar XE entry-level premium sedan and the next-generation Land Rover Discovery will highlight the British carmaker’s growth over the next few years, according to the new Middle East managing director, Bruce Robertson.

The Jaguar XE will debut early next year with a completely new aluminium monocoque platform as well as a new in-house “Ingenium” 2.0-litre turbo-four engine, both of which will form the basis of future products. Apparently there are hot-weather test cars already running around the UAE, based out of the company’s dedicated engineering centre in Dubai.

The Land Rover Discovery will be coming after that, more than a year away, and will potentially be a range of vehicles using the same moniker. The new models will be get more attention now, as Land Rover models currently play second-fiddle to their much-pricier Range Rover cousins in terms of sales.

With Land Rover, including Range Rover, accounting for around 80% of worldwide Jaguar-Land Rover sales, the company is facing a production shortage, which they are planning to alleviate with the opening of plants in China, Brazil and India to serve their respective regions. That means more of the allocation from the UK factories can be sent to the GCC, where some Range Rover models currently have a year-long waiting list.

There are also plans to increase the number of dealerships in the Middle East region, as they believe it will help in increasing sales further, based on past experience. A better customer-service experience is also being promised.

Even then, Mr. Robertson says that Jaguar-Land Rover has no intention of becoming a mass-market manufacturer, so they’re not aiming to sell a million cars a year, but rather keep the brands somewhat exclusive.