Land Rover phases out its cheapest SUV Freelander 2

Production of the vehicle, which was launched in India two-and-half years ago ago, was stopped a few months at the Chakan plant

Tata Motors-owned British brand Jaguar Land Rover has phased out its most-affordable sports utility vehicle (SUV) offering in India, the Freelander 2, a little over 30 months after launching it in the country.

It was one of the four models being made locally by Land Rover. The production of the Freelander 2 was stopped a few months ago at the Chakan plant, near Pune, sources said.

A JLR India spokesperson also confirmed that the Freelander 2 has been phased out from the Indian market.

The five-seater SUV, which was launched in March 2013, became the first locally-assembled product in India from JLR and was priced attractively at Rs 38.67 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai). It was priced lower than its competition, which included the BMW X3 and Mercedes M Class. The Audi Q3 and Mercedes GLA, both of which are smaller in dimensions were priced closer to the Freelander 2.

JLR has replaced the Freelander 2 with the Discovery Sport, which was launched in India in September. Though priced substantially higher than the Freelander 2 at Rs 46.10 lakh (ex-showroom, pre-octroi, Mumbai), JLR claimed to have received about 300 pre-orders for the model before its launch.

The Discovery Sport shares its platform with the Range Rover Evoque. The Discovery Sport joins three other models Range Rover Evoque, Jaguar XJ and Jaguar XF, which are also assembled at the Chakan facility.

JLR intends to expand the bouquet of locally made products in India in the near future to keep its prices attractive benefiting from lower taxes compared to fully-imported products.  After five consecutive years of growth in sales in India, JLR witnessed a drop in 2014. Sales dropped to 2,859 units, against 2,913 units clocked in the 2013. The two brands started their journey in India in 2010 with sales of 248 units in the debut year. Though India sales for JLR are one-fourth compared to its German peers like Mercedes-Benz and Audi, sales could see a turnaround next year when it launches a compact sedan under the Jaguar brand.

JLR will launch the XE, Jaguar’s most-affordable sedan, next year after showcasing it at the Auto Expo. The vehicle, which was showcased at the Paris Motor Show, last year, will sport a two-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine, developed in-house by JLR under the Ingenium series.

Though the exact pricing details would be known at the time of launch, the market expects the sedan to be priced under Rs 40 lakh. It will compete against the Mercedes C Class, BMW 3 Series and Audi A4.