Report: Jaguar/Land Rover to cut from six platforms to two

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Report: Jaguar/Land Rover to cut from six platforms to two

Jaguar and Land Rover have been getting closer and closer. The two British luxury marques that once might have competed for the same customers now find themselves under the same Tata-constructed roof. And in the process they've begun sharing parts as big as engines. But you'd figure with Jaguars bound to the road and Land Rovers excelling off the beaten path, they couldn't possibly share something as fundamental as platforms, right? So you might figure, and with reasonable grounds, but you'd be wrong. That is, assuming the latest reports prove accurate.

According to Autocar, JLR will soon begin cutting back from six different platforms to just two. The major building block will be the flexible aluminum architecture underpinning the latest Jaguar XF and XJ sedans. JLR apparently figures the platform can be adapted easily enough for the high-riding, rock-jumping Land Rover and Range Rover models, as well as the upcoming new roadster from Jag, while the Discovery is reportedly slated to be replaced by a bigger version of the Freelander.

link:

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/25/report-jaguar-land-rover-to-cut-from-six-platforms-to-two/

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Range Rover/XJ 'platform share'

Jaguar Land Rover plans to cut down from using six platforms to just two, including a platform share between the Range Rover and XJ.

Building a Range Rover out of the same structure that underpins the new XJ saloon is not as difficult as it might sound, requiring only limited, inexpensive modifications.

While the floor and front crash structure will remain the same, the Range Rover version will get a taller front bulkhead and a modified rear bulkhead, which will accommodate folding rear seats.

The XJ’s front strut towers are cast in one piece and bonded and riveted to the front chassis legs. The Range Rover will simply get taller towers to accommodate the model’s higher ride height and much greater wheel articulation.

Ultimately, JLR wants to have two basic platforms. The basic set-up will be a conventional steel structure (based on Ford’s C1 platform), which will come in three lengths and underpin the three-model Freelander family. Insiders expect a super-size seven-seat Freelander to replace the current Discovery, so that model will not require a direct replacement.

Jaguar’s aluminium architecture is likely to be spun out of today’s wider, luxury version (used for the firm’s three flagship cars) and a new, narrower, more flexible structure for the rest of Jaguar’s future models, including the XE roadster.

link:

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/Jaguar-XJ-Series/247561/

[regfootball]

love to hear smk's approval 4 this

[ZL-1]

Makes perfect sense, hope the execution is flawless.

[SAmadei]

The bad news is one platform is a Tata... the other is a 4x4 Tata.