You’ll be surprised. Range Rover is the brand of British multinational automotive company Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC that is a subsidiary of Indian automaker Tata Motors. So, formally, it is Indians who make Range Rover cars, while the main production facilities are still in the UK.
Tata Motors?! Isn’t it Ford who owns Range Rover?
No, Ford sold the business entirely to Tata Motors in 2008. The most interesting part of the deal was the price – Tata paid $2.3 billion for the asset that cost Ford $5.3 billion in 2000 when the latter purchased it from BMW.
However, Ford engines are still the core of most Range Rovers in production, because Tata has the exclusive right to buy engines from Ford until 2019.
Range Rover or Land Rover?
Both monikers exist and represent the same manufacturer. In fact, Land Rover is the name of the entire marque, while Range Rover is the name of one of its model lines. The Land Rover (LR model line) usually refers to rugged, off-road SUVs, while Range Rovers are more luxurious with emphasis on comfort and on-road abilities. Of course, even the cheapest Range Rover will cost you much more than an average LR SUV. Naturally, the best option, in this case, is the one that fulfills your needs for the budget you have. Range Rover abilities are so great that you will feel as a king on the road. But still, if you want an off-road SUV or 4×4, maybe you should consider the Land Rover instead, even if you have enough money for both of them.
Range Rover Sport SVR © Tata Group
Few facts about Tata Motors
It is an Indian multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra that has vehicle assembly operations in three continents – Asia (India, South Korea, Thailand), Europe (the United Kingdom, Spain), and Africa (South Africa). The company was founded in 1945 as a manufacturer of locomotives; it entered the commercial vehicle sector after forming a joint venture with Daimler-Benz in 1954. In 1998, Tata launched Indica, the first fully indigenous Indian passenger car. The huge success of the Indica on the home market despite its obvious flaws played a key role in the growth of Tata Motors, allowing the company to purchase Jaguar Land Rover.
Range Rover in the US
Despite the fact that it was Ford’s property for eight years, Range Rover is not very popular in the United States for one simple reason – there is still no local factories assembling the car. By the way, the first Range Rover car ever sold officially in the United States was delivered to the happy customer only on 16 March 1987, while the brand was launched in 1970. However, Range Rover is highly popular in Europe for decades. Interestingly enough, some Range Rovers were assembled in Australia in the 1970s and 1980s, but government increases in the tariff on parts lead to Australian assembly being discontinued in 1983. It seems Tata Motors has no desire to change the tendency, so don’t expect that Range Rovers will be cheaper in the near future. They are big, stylish, highly extravagant, and luxurious after all. Those spending less than $80,000 for a single car can look for some other SUVs.