Jaguar Land Rover promises more models for Oz

Jaguar Land Rover is set to significantly increase the number of model and engine variants it offers in Australia.

The move is the result of a “global edict” that will see multiple model grades and engine variants added right across the UK brand’s local Jaguar and Land Rover portfolios.

The first vehicle that will demonstrate the effect Down Under will be the new Range Rover Velar. In addition to the choice of (eventually) six engine variants, the Velar will offer visually different standard and R-Dynamic versions (pictured), all across four equipment grades: Velar, S, SE and HSE.

Taking the special First Edition V6 supercharged petrol and turbo-diesel versions offered in the first model-year into account, that means 50 Velar variants will be available to Australian consumers by early 2018.

And that’s before any powered-up SVO versions surface down the track.

Velar will launch with 42 models when it arrives in Australia later in 2017. The additional models will be powered by JLR’s new P300 221kW petrol four-cylinder.

The Velar range will span from $70,300 to $135,400. The special First edition models are priced at $167,600.

The change will be rolled out across Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) entire line-up as models are updated, says JLR Australia spokesperson, James Scrimshaw.

“With some very rare exceptions, in future we will have available all model grades and powertrains,” Scrimshaw stated.

“Most of our vehicles are ordered by customers so we don’t think it will be an issue with complexity. And in any case our dealers know what customers want – I don’t think they’ll be ordering the wrong sorts of cars,” he added.

According to Scrimshaw, the variants JLR Australia will not have on its model lists will be, for example, low-output manual transmission versions of cars like range Rover Sport. He added that two-wheel drive versions of most Land Rover models would not make it into the local line-up, either.

Extrapolating the Velar example to model lines like Evoque, which boasts three and five-door hatch plus cabrio body styles, could see variant numbers stretch into three figures. This means Land Rover’s model line-up could theoretically top 400 variants.

Scrimshaw said the proliferation was a “global edict”.

JLR Australia boss Matthew Wiesner last week telegraphed the changes with news regarding the addition of four-cylinder and rear-drive variants to Jaguar’s Australian F-PACE SUV line-up.