Jaguar, and probably its parent company Tata, aren’t happy with the sales performance of British marque’s portfolio of SUVs, currently comprised of the F-Pace and I-Pace. Their solution, reportedly, is to throw more models into the mix.
However, developing new models is often an arduous process that can cost a company tens of millions more than they had originally anticipated. Not wanting to risk going through that kind of hell and aiming to expedite their journey from prototype to the showroom, the automaker is seriously considering to piggy back off BMW, according to Autocar.
This would further expand the ongoing partnership between the two automakers which, for now, focuses on jointly working on electric drivetrains. By having access to BMW platforms and technology, Jaguar could have their desired two additional crossovers within 5 years.
Insiders have informed the British publication that the existing collaborative agreement between Jaguar and BMW has already taken a larger role, though not yet officially, with the latter agreeing to supply the UK marque with four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines in both conventional and hybrid configurations.
With that in mind, the move to a shared platform would not be such a leap, and would endow Jaguar with the technical leg-up it needs to be truly competitive in the premium SUV space. Sister brand Land Rover would also benefit from the exchange, meaning that the next generation of Range Rover Evokes and Discovery Sports could be built atop BMW architectures.
It goes without saying, though, that BMW might feel a pinch if these newer Land Rover and Jaguar models turn out a little too good, especially if in key markets their volume models such as the X1 and MINI Countryman lose buyers to the British alternatives.
The deal would appear to solve some of Jaguar Land Rover’s more pressing issues, but would also mean that the significant time and investment poured into their Ingenium family of engines, for example, would wind up a waste.
As their dependency on BMW widens, it would also put both British brands in a precarious position if BMW suffers issues with its shared platforms and powertrains, though we suspect that sort of problem is something JLR are used to seeing surface.
For more on Jaguar cars, check out our Showroom.
