Tata Motors to launch Freelander SUV on Sep 22

Less than three months after Tata Motors, owners of UK's luxury automotive brands, Jaguar and Land Rover, introduced models of both the brands in India, the company is gearing up to launch its seventh product — Freelander 2  — on Tuesday.

Although pricing details were not made available by the company immediately, sources say that the sports utility vehicle (SUV) made by Land rover will carry a price tag of around Rs 35 lakh or less (excluding local taxes).

Freelander is a compact yet premium all-wheel drive vehicle, which is sold in large European markets such as the UK, France, Italy and Spain as well as China.

Sources add that the vehicle, which was earlier proposed to be launched in the early half of October, was in the final stages of passing its homologation tests in July.

The SUV will attract an import duty of more than 100 per cent as it will be sold in India as a completely built unit. The Freelander is sold at about Rs 17 lakh (pound 21,295) in the UK.

Tata Motors currently sells three models of the Land Rover brand in India such as Range Rover Range Rover Sport and Discovery 3. The Discovery 3 is currently the cheapest of the three models sold at Rs 63 lakh, while the other two models cost upto Rs 85 lakh (all prices ex-showroom Mumbai).