Jaguar Land Rover Korea to launch 4 new models in 2021

Jaguar Land Rover Korea will launch four new models to strengthen its product portfolio and lower the prices of the cars to meet consumer demands, the company’s managing director said in a press conference on Monday.

Speaking to the media here for the first time since his appointment in October 2020, Robin Colgan laid out his 4P strategy to strengthen the company’s foothold in the market, and reiterated the automotive group’s global roadmap focused on electrification.

This year, Land Rover will be launching two completely revamped sports utility vehicles -- the All New Defender 90 and the New Discovery. The automaker said it will be presenting the first gasoline engine models for both vehicles.

Jaguar is also set to release the new F-Pace and new XF in the Korean market this year.

To attract customers and meet consumer demands, Colgan presented the 4P strategy which focuses on product, price, PIVI Pro and powertrain.

“(To meet market demands) it is about making sure we’ve got the right product powertrain, critically, the right price,and all of those things at the right time in the market,” Colgan said.

First, the company will be introducing all of its 21 models, with some renovated with significant upgrades by July, Colgan said. The automaker will also lower prices for many of its vehicles, and also introduce gasoline powertrains to meet great demand from local consumers. 

The car maker said it also plans to launch the first plug-in hybrid EV in Korea in the first half of 2022.

The managing director also highlighted Pivi Pro, the award-winning infotainment system the automaker presents for the first time in its products rolling out this year.

Pivi Pro was jointly developed with LG Electronics for global sales. Made to offer an intuitive user experience, Pivi Pro has been equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 820Am mobile processor and the latest Blackberry QNX operating system that enables fast processing of orders, according to the automaker.

Colgan stressed that their advanced infotainment system should no longer be seen as an additional function, as cars are working tools that fundamentally need to fit into people’s lives, and connectivity is now part of it.

In addition, Jaguar Land Rover Korea also worked with SK Telecom, the country’s top mobile carrier and navigation system provider, to develop its own T map service -- the first imported brand to do so.

On the Jaguar Land Rover’s global road map dubbed “Reimagine” announced last month, Colgan noted that the company is already moving to achieve its goals.

Under the strategy, Jaguar will be “transformed” into a pure electric vehicle brand with innovative technology and beauty in design by 2025, while Land Rover will launch six new pure EVs in the next five years, with the first car set to launch in 2024, according to the company.

By 2039, the automaker also aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.

“I want to emphasize the point that these are not simply words, we are not looking for headlines. We will spend 3.5 billion dollars annually, the budget is already secure and work has already started to deliver these objectives,” Colgan said.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)