Jaguar Land Rover Sets Sights on 1 Million Sales

Tata Motors Ltd.'s Jaguar Land Rover unit aims to more than double its global sales to 750,000 vehicles by the end of the decade on the way to its eventual goal of 1 million units.

Lindsay Duffield, president of JLR's Canadian unit, told an automotive conference in Canada that the Jaguar and Land Rover brands aspire to break out of niche markets to join the ranks of leading luxury carmakers. JLR deliveries surged 30% to a record-high 357,800 vehicles last year.

Duffield notes that lower-priced models such as the $41,000 Range Rover Evoque SUV have broadened Land Rover's appeal. But he adds that the company will resist expanding its lineup to near-luxury vehicles priced below $30,000.

JLR told Automotive News in January that a "Baby Jag" to compete with BMW's 3 Series is a top priority. The company says it is developing at least one entry-level compact car, hinting at a revival of the Jaguar X-Type compact sedan. But JLR vows it won't repeat the mistakes of the original X-Type launched in 2001, which was based on owner Ford Motor Co.'s Mondeo compact sedan.

The X-Type, which lacked luxury cachet, was symptomatic of Ford's failed effort to turn Jaguar into a mass-market luxury brand. The high-volume strategy flopped, and Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata in 2008.

JLR is avoiding the market-saturation approach now. Duffield says the lynchpin of the unit's current growth plans is expansion in such new markets as China, India and Russia.