Luxury vehicle maker Jaguar and Land Rover Friday introduced a diesel variant of its XF sedan in India, as it gears up to compete with bigger rivals including BMW AG and Daimler AG in the fast-growing automobile market.
The variant has been priced at 4.84 million rupees ($106 000) at showrooms in New Delhi, the U.K.- based unit of India's Tata Motors Ltd. said.
The company plans to increase its dealerships to 10 from three by the end of March, Rohit Suri, head of Tata Motors' premium car business, told reporters. "We are not in a position where competitors are at the moment and will expand to more cities to have a bigger share of this market," he said.
Demand for Jaguar and Land Rover cars has far exceeded the company's expectations, Mr. Suri said, without disclosing sales targets for the two brands.
Tata Motors acquired Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford Motor Co. in 2008 for $2.3 billion.
The company plans to start assembling some Land Rover sport-utility vehicles in India by the middle of next year.
"We are working on the details, such as which models to assemble," Mr. Suri said.
