Jaguar Land Rover has finished the year with as many as 10 launches across categories, helping the two Tata Motors-owned British brands grow by 49 per cent. On Tuesday, it launched the convertible version of the Evoque.
But Rohit Suri, president and managing director, Jaguar Land Rover India said the company is forced to rethink on its India plans given the 5 percent rise in customs duty which will impact it substantially. Edited excerpts.
The convertible SUV is the first in India. What are your expectations from it?We don’t need benchmarks to set a benchmark. There never was a convertible SUV in India and the Evoque is the first. There are various things going for it. It’s an SUV and it’s a Land Rover. So all the capabilities of a Land Rover are already in the car. Off-road conditions, wading through water capabilities are there. For an extra Rs 3-4 lakh, buyers have the option to enjoy the open air. It can be a game changer.
How much volumes are you expecting from it?
We are expecting decent numbers. We have to really see how the customer reacts to it. We are expecting the customer to accept it positively.
How many actually use the roof down option?We will be learning as we move along. But people like to travel on holidays and if the weather is nice, we all like to have the wind in the hair. This car will give an added option and it is also a lifestyle statement.
It comes only with a petrol engine. Is a diesel version in the offing?
This car is yet to be tested and we are not expecting very huge numbers. There is no point in increasing the variety. So we decided that the Evoque, if there is a need for a diesel, then we can always add it.
JLR had a phenomenal 2017. How badly will the luxury car industry be hit with the 5 per cent rise in customs duty?Car industry will definitely be impacted. We are already grappling with high GST and taxes, which is 50 per cent for an SUV and with this 5 per cent, it is further not allowed to grow and we will be affected too.
Last year you grew by 49 per cent. Is even half the growth achievable this year?We will aim for a high double digit growth but I am not sure if we will be able to hit the same growth like last year. The hike in duty is unfair. There are hundreds of workers supporting the sales of a car like sales, technicians, managers to name few. They all will be impacted. There are 50-200 people employed at a dealership.
Are you reconsidering your plans?We are always relooking and remapping our plans based on policy changes and market conditions. If you make investments and they don’t match up to the volumes, then there will be a problem.
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