And now, Jag with an Indian tag

From next month, you can buy a Jaguar in India. And a Land Rover. If half a crore or a crore is loose change for you, these automotive beauties will be available as fully-imported models for your driving pleasure.

Jaguar-Land Rover (JLR), a company now owned by the Tata Group, said on Friday it will begin selling its range of premium performance saloon cars and sports utility vehicles through an exclusive agreement with Tata Motors. July will see the launch of the Tatas’ car at the bottom end of the market —  the Nano.

Says JLR CEO David Smith: “We are delighted to be formally entering the Indian market, an economy which is growing appreciably, and able to offer premium products to a new group of customers. It is an important strategic move for Jaguar Land Rover and will enable us to realise our competitive potential in this market.”

The first Indian showroom in India will come up at Ceejay House at Worli. This flagship facility will offer Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles. Outlets in Delhi, Bangalore and other metros will be rolled out over the rest of the financial year.

Though no one has mentioned prices, the cheapest Jag — XJ model — will probably cost Rs70 lakh. This price has been worked out assuming a sticker price of Rs33 lakh in the UK and 110% import duty in India. Actual prices could be higher, as duties can go as high as 160% depending on the car’s specs. At the upper end of the market, a Jaguar XF could set you back by over Rs5 crore.

The Land Rover range will cost Rs32 lakh for the Freelander2 to Rs80-and-odd lakh for the upper-end Range Rover.

Says Mark Foster, corporate affairs manager, JLR: “Starting with Mumbai, we are looking at a geographical spread which will cater to the premium market.”

JLR will showcase Jaguar XF, XKR, XJ, Land Rover-Freelander 2, Discovery 4, Range Rover and Range Rover Sports. With this entry, JLR will compete with the likes of BMW, Mercedes Benz and Audi.