JLR expects Discovery Sport to more than treble India sales

JLR India is hopeful of more than trebling its sales in the country on the back of "a tremendous response" for its SUV hatchback Discovery Sport.

The Tata Motors-owned premium British brand, which is present at the upper-end of the luxury car market, enjoys around 9 per cent market share now.

JLR India had sold 2,857 units in the country last year.

"We have received tremendous response to Discovery Sport. Even before the official launch and price announcement, we have got 300 bookings for the hatchback. And this is a good number.

"If we maintain this sales pace, I am hopeful of our volume growing three-four times from the current numbers," JLR India President Rohit Suri told PTI in an interview after launching the Discovery Sport here last week.

The British marque brand launched the Discovery Sport SUV hatchback, which is based on the Land Rover platform, in four variants of five- and seven-seaters at prices ranging from Rs 46.1 lakh (entry model five-seater) to Rs 62.18 lakh for the top-end seven-seater, ex-showroom Mumbai.

This is the first hatchback from the JLR India stable in the country. The company launched the car in the global market last November and was made available for sales from January.

The 2.2-litre Discovery Sport is pitted against the GLA Class from Merc, the BMW X3, the Audi Q5 and the Volvo XC60. Significantly, all these German models are cheaper.

For instance, the GLA Class from Mercedes-Benz is priced at a cheaper Rs 31-34.25 lakh, thanks to larger sourcing of parts from the local suppliers.

With the Discovery Sport, the company looks to bridge the gap with its competitors.

Elaborating, Suri said hatchbacks -- both SUVs and cars -- constitute more than 45 per cent of the luxury car market, but JLR has been conspicuously absent in the space as all its existing models are at the upper end of the price tag.

"Our current market share is only 9 per cent in the overall luxury category, but if we exclude the hatchback space, which constitutes more than 45 per cent of the market, then our market share should be close to 20 per cent.

"I hope to fill this vacuum with the Discovery Sport," Suri said.

The new five- and seven-seater machine comes with a 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission.