Rumour: Range Rover Evoque to be built locally

British carmaker, Jaguar-Land Rover (JLR) has had a successful 2013 in India. Its sales grew by a rate of more than 21 % over 2012. The company looks keen to keep the ball rolling and is set to expand its operations in the country with the addition of more dealerships and more locally produced models. Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO of JLR, stated at the Auto Expo, last week, that Jaguar's flagship sedan, the XJ would be the third JLR model to be assembled in India after the Land Rover Freelander and the Jaguar XF.

Now, it is rumoured that JLR is planning to assemble the 2014 Range Rover Evoque SUV at its Pune facility. The car is available with a choice of two engines - a 2.2-litre, diesel (190 bhp, 420 Nm) or a 2.0-litre, petrol (240 bhp, 340Nm). Both the diesel and petrol Evoque have been given a 9-speed, ZF automatic gearbox this year.

Currently, the Evoque is brought to India as a CBU and attracts maximum taxes and duties. Local assembly of the car will help the company to price it more competitively, which in turn, is expected to increase its customer base.

Source: Autocar India