Shanghai September 13 (Gasgoo.com) Tata Motors is planning to spin off its Range Rover Series from the Land Rover brand and launch the entry-level Range Rover Evoque to the Chinese market next year, according to Huitong Lu Hua Auto Sales Co, known as Land Rover's franchised dealer in China, reports The Beijing News on Monday.
The relevant person in charge at Land Rover China also confirmed the spin-off, but saying that it is only an early consideration that relates to the company's global market strategy and will be discussed at the global meeting as early as the end of this month.
With launch of the Range Rover Sport and the entry-level concept model Evoque, there will be plenty of products under the Range Rover Series, so Tata Motors, the owner of the U.K.-based luxury brands, is thinking of spinning off the Range Rover into a separate brand. Another reason lies in the fact that the luxury market is becoming more diverse with many more types of segments being formed, said Huitong Lu Hua and Land Rover China.
Whether the Range Rover will be spun off as a separate brand or end up as a sub brand of the Land Rover is still not clear, the same person in charge said.
Compared with its great performance in the global market, Range Rover still has a long way to go in the Chinese market, where its sales volume accounts for only 15% of the entire Land Rover car sales. Therefore, it is too early to completely spin off the brand now, and meanwhile dealers will face the risk of losing money if opening up new stores, the above person said.
