Made-in-India Land Rover SUVs coming soon

You may be able to buy a mini-version of the Defender in India by 2019-20 as Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is planning to make Land Rover SUVs in India.

Presently, JLR imports kits and assembles luxury saloons at its Pune facility. Now, the luxury brand is planning to set up a manufacturing plant here, which will also give a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India initiative.

By launching a Indian version of Defender, JLR will be able to meet the demand in India as the SUV trends have gone up.

"Unlike the past, the discussion is currently being led out of the (JLR) HQ in the UK. When compared to 2012, when the company had conducted the feasibility of introducing the new Defender, this time around they feel the vendor fraternity has matured on the quality front," said one of the three people ET spoke to.

The company is already in talks with vendors over quality and cost of the components.

“India is absolutely of interest to us. I am sure India will eventually grow big like China. The country has young population, majority of them speak in English and have a very good skill level. It is just a matter of time," CEO Speth told ET.