Health of Tata Motors and the future of Land Rover brand.... ?

Who else has been around through Ford buying JLR then Tata? It seemed like Tata was going to turn it around, which they certainly did in terms of brand image and sales but the company is looking weak and the cancellation of the SVX Disco 5 suggests things are worse than we can see.

I wonder who will own the brand in 5-10 yrs. I hope it doesn't come to the ending like SAAB....

I hate to admit it but I've owned 3 Saabs (technically 4 but one was a parts car) and 4 Landrovers (among many others). My first British car was a 1975 Triumph Spitfire we bought new and back then it was British Leyland which encompassed Triumph, Jaguar, MG, Landrover and I think Austin Healey. Even from those days on they have had financial issues and quality issues. I remember driving to Atlanta in 75 or 76 to pick up a shifter bushing for the Dealer because they were going to have to order it from England and it was going to be a month lead time. I got there and they almost wouldn't sell it to me because it was the last one in stock and they had a car in for warranty service that needed one. Honestly I never talk to anyone who knows I have a Landrover who doesn't say "do you have a lot of problems with it?" I think that reputation is why their sales are not what they should be, and really in this day and time with robotics and technology on the line there is no excuse for all the issues I read about with the newer ones. Consumer affairs rates them 1.2 stars and has listed 307 top reviews and complaints. It's really terrible to the point that last week I shelved my D5 dreams and was literally a signature away from pulling the trigger on a 19 Armada but thank God I drove through the LR dealer and changed my mind. I still haven't bought the D5 and am thinking I'm going to wait for the Defender, at least until they officially release it. If it ends up looking like a Ford Flex on mud tires I don't think I'll be in.

Anyway that's a long response to say yes I remember Ford, BMW, Rover Group, and British Leyland. I pray they stay afloat because my blood runs green.

^ have you ever driven a Mercedes G? They are actually a lot like a much better built Disco 2. Better in every way mechanically, body, frame, and materials but the Disco 2 was my favorite for shape of rear section being so tall. If you can afford/warrant a new D5, then you can more or less afford a several yrs old G550. It's also 1000% more customizable in terms of using for off-roading and camping.

Aside from that, the D5 'abandoners' will mostly probably go to Toyota Land Cruiser

I have not driven a G and they are on the holy grail list for sure!

$70k-80k +/- 2016 G550 with the newer bi-turbo v8

I will give Ford credit, when they bought JLR they invested a ton of money and improved things immensely. The LR3 was the first real product done under Ford and it was good. Who knows where JLR ends up but it could be sold again.

ktm525 said:

I will give Ford credit, when they bought JLR they invested a ton of money and improved things immensely. The LR3 was the first real product done under Ford and it was good. Who knows where JLR ends up but it could be sold again.

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Well, Tata certainly went in an awesome direction with the new Range Rover platform and the aluminum plus even more off road capability in the RR while pressing ahead with interior upgrades. Overall though maybe the cart got before the horse as they rolled out all the new variants. It's kinda crazy to think how Land Rover had so few vehicles before with basically just wheelbase variants among 2 chassis before creating the entry level Discovery line.

I had an Evoque for a week and literally hated it. Had I won it I'd have had it on autotrader in a few hrs. Then I had a SC RR for a week....ridiculous with 22" wheels but man that was a sweet road tripper.

Myself I was off the Discovery 5 when a V8 was not in the cards! Having a test drive, tried on a Diesel too, it sucked performance wise these experiences unsold me on a D5. The future of Land Rovers image is hinging on a successful defender reception (most likely Non-V8 available) . The diehards like myself, not wearing numeral gold chains or only drive to the mall in my RR, yearn for a little Braun in the lineup. I do appreciate the current RR full size I am not a nay-sayer. I love my LR3. My Third one, I keep locating low milage units when I am looking to move up to a newer version. (Don't get me on my soapbox about "Why Jeep doesn't offer a HEMI in a Wrangler Unlimited")

You want LR to offer small coffee makers?