BMW purchases the Rover Group in 1994. BMW divides the Rover Group in 2000, and Ford purchases Land Rover. 2008: A new Jaguar Land Rover subsidiary is established after Tata Motors, based in Mumbai, India, acquired Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford.
In This Article...
A BMW era
BMW purchased Rover Group plc, which included Land Rover, on January 31, 1994. When BMW split up the Rover Group in 2000, Land Rover was sold to Ford Motor Company and included to its Premier Automotive Group. Prior to the 1997 release of Land Rover’s first unibody vehicle, the Freelander, the shift to BMW ownership barely overlapped with the debut of the second generation Range Rover. The Range Rover III, the first vehicle with an independent suspension and a monocoque frame, was developed in large part by BMW and debuted in late 2001 under Ford.
Shop nearby for the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque.
Although the current organization is complicated, Land Rover has long been known for it. As a member of the Rover brand, the first Land Rover was introduced in 1948, and the first Range Rover followed in 1970. British Leyland eventually acquired the Rover brand, which changed its name to Rover Triumph. Land Rover was separated into its own subsidiary firm following the bankruptcy of BL and subsequent nationalization. British Leyland changed their name to Rover in 1988 after going back into private ownership in 1986. Rover was later purchased by BMW in 1994, and Ford purchased Land Rover in 2000. In 2008, Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors, who subsequently established the Jaguar Land Rover division that is still in operation today.
Before becoming the opulent series of SUVs available today, the Range Rover itself was initially a pretty practical off-road vehicle. The majority of Range Rover vehicles are still very capable off-road despite the added luxury.
Driving the Land Rover Defender
The brand-new 2022 Range Rover luxury SUV has been presented by Land Rover. It will be offered with a 532 hp 4.4 liter turbocharged V8 engine from BMW.
BMW briefly controlled Land Rover from 1994 to 2000, and the Range Rover used BMW engines until Ford acquired Land Rover and replaced them with Jaguar V8s. Later, Tata, the current owner, purchased both the British brand and Jaguar.
The base engine for the 2022 Range Rover is a 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline-6-cylinder Jaguar-Land Rover engine with 395 horsepower and a mild hybrid system. A plug-in hybrid version will be offered for the 2023 model year, and all-electric power will follow in 2024.
Because the Range Rover is now available for the first time in a long-wheelbase variant with up to three rows of seating alongside the conventional wheelbase five-passenger model, all of the engines will have more Range Rover to haul around than ever before.
The full-size SUV’s appearance is an extension of the previous model and uses the streamlined, flush aesthetic language that made its debut on the Range Rover Velar.
All Range Rovers will be equipped as standard with all-wheel drive, a completely independent suspension with adjustable air springs, and a four-wheel steering system that enables the rear wheels to turn counterclockwise to the front wheels for better low-speed mobility in confined spaces.
The Range Rover’s interior features a haptic feedback infotainment system with a 13.1-inch tablet-style display and a digital instrument cluster. The long-wheelbase model’s third row can be added, and an optional Executive Class second row with reclining seats and footrests, retractable in the manner of an airline, and a center console with its own screen is available. Seating for five people is normal.
When deliveries commence in the spring of 2019, the Range Rover will start at $104,000 and go as high as $163,500 for a loaded, long-wheelbase First Edition variant with a V8 engine.
Who is Land Rover’s owner?
So who currently owns Land Rover? Land Rover is still a separate business today, although in 1994 it was acquired by BMW after the German automaker bought the Rover Group.
Land Rover was eventually sold to Ford Motor Company in 2000 after BMW split up the Rover Group. In 2006, it was acquired from BMW and the Rover brand was added to their Premier Automotive Group. Ford Motor Company sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors in 2008. Since Ford engines are used in the majority of Land Rover vehicles, Ford and BMW initially wished to protect the Land Rover name. Ford engines may be used in Land Rover vehicles through 2019 thanks to Tata’s acquisition of the company.
Who Produces the Land Rover? How did Land Rover get its start?
The Series I Land Rover Defender, which debuted in 1948, was the first vehicle manufactured by Land Rover, which was formerly a sub-brand of the British automaker Rover Company. The original Willys Jeep is perhaps what gave inspiration to one of the earliest mass-produced four-wheel drive vehicles, the Series I.
The Rover Company was under pressure from the British government to collaborate with the Leyland Motor Corporation, also known as British Leyland, in late 1967. In 1978, BL reorganized Land Rover into a wholly distinct business. After BL filed for bankruptcy in 1988, it then became a member of the Rover Group, which was later sold to BMW in 1994. Ford purchased Land Rover from BMW in 2000. In 2008, Ford sold the SUV brand to the Indian company Tata Motors. Since then, Tata has owned the business, which is run under the Jaguar-Land Rover name. Land Rover’s global headquarters are in Coventry, England, although being owned by an Indian business.
Does BMW own Jaguar Land Rover?
Jaguar split from British Leyland in the 1980s and regained its independence before being acquired by Ford in 1989. In contrast, BMW purchased Land Rover in 1994, and introduced the Freelander to further broaden the lineup.
Which Land Rover is powered by a BMW?
I shared the enthusiasm of many other BMW lovers when I learned that the German automaker will be working with Land Rover to deliver V8 engines for more expensive vehicles, notably the top-of-the-line Range Rover P530. Why would BMW fans be thrilled about such a collaboration? because building a relationship between the two brands is really cool and because Range Rovers are pretty generally adored.
Only the aforementioned P530, which utilizes a slightly modified version of BMW’s “N63” 4.4 liter twin-turbocharged V8, is currently a Range Rover product to use a BMW V8 engine. The V8 still has 523 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque for Range Rover use. To handle some of the utility a Range Rover needs, it has been slightly modified.
It would have been totally natural for Range Rover supporters and consumers to worry that installing a BMW V8 in the engine bay might affect the vehicle’s ability to handle rough terrain. Ranges are robust, sturdy SUVs behind their glitzy exteriors, capable of off-roading that would put most Jeeps to shame. For this reason, Range Rover engines need to be a little bit tougher. It makes sense that BMW engines would be reluctant to be used in a Range Rover because they aren’t normally designed to handle the steep inclines and deep water wading that Range Rovers can handle.
But the Range Rover P530 was given a new, taller air intake on the BMW N63, enabling it to wade through up to 35.4 inches of water. It also received a new oil sump so that it could withstand the sharp angles and back-and-forth sloshing that a Range might subject it to without depriving the engine of oil.
The good thing about this is that BMW buyers may now be more likely to choose a Range Rover P530 over, say, an X7 because they can now purchase a car with greater off-road capability while still maintaining some BMW DNA. Additionally, BMW V8 or not, the P530 can still manage all a true Range needs to manage, according to Range Rover customers.
Are Land Rover engines produced by BMW?
There will be two wheelbases available for the Range Rover 5. There will be two PHEV powertrains in addition to the MHEV engines, on which Land Rover is collaborating with BMW. In 2024, a BEV variant will also be offered.
The fifth generation of Jaguar Land Rover’s luxury SUV has been unveiled: The new Range Rover has dimensions of 5052 mm in length, 2209 mm in width, and 1870 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2997 mm, and is based on the MLA-Flex modular longitudinal architecture. The wheelbase of the long-wheelbase model is 3197 mm long and extends to 5252 mm. The new edition of the Range Rover just slightly refines the original design. The “boat tail” rear end with the tail lights merged “invisibly” in a panel and integrated door handles are new features.
BMW, which provides the engines for the Range Rover, collaborates closely with Jaguar Land Rover on the powertrain. With the exception of the V8 gasoline engine, they are all electric. Three MHEV inline six-cylinder engines with 183 kW (249 PS), 221 kW (300 PS), and 258 kW make up the diesel powertrain lineup. The Range Rover P400’s MHEV six-cylinder gasoline engine generates 294 kW (400 PS), and the Range Rover P530’s V8 generates 390 kW. Later will come two plug-in hybrid variants with an electric range of up to 100 km and an output of 324 kW (440 PS) or 375 kW (510 PS). A fully electric Range Rover will be introduced in 2024, while the highest model, the Range Rover SV with a supercharged V8 engine, will follow in 2022.
Qui acquired Rover from BMW?
The last locally held mass-production automobile manufacturer in the British automotive sector was MG Rover Group. The business was established in 2000 after BMW sold the Phoenix Consortium the original Rover Group’s car-making and engine-manufacturing assets.
After MG Rover entered administration in 2005, Nanjing Automobile Group acquired its core assets. In 2007, Nanjing resumed production of MG sports cars and sports saloons. That year, SAIC Motor and Nanjing combined. The UK division’s name was changed to MG Motor UK in 2009. From 2008 to 2010, the MG TF was produced in the former MG Rover Longbridge plant and distributed in the UK. The MG 6 was introduced in the UK in 2011 and was the first completely new MG in 16 years. A supermini (the MG 3) was launched to the lineup in 2013, which helped MG Motor become the UK’s fastest-growing automaker in 2014.
Ford, which had acquired Land Rover from BMW in 2000, purchased the Rover brand, which had been held by BMW and leased to MG Rover. Ford sold the Jaguar Cars and Land Rover businesses, as well as the rights to the defunct Rover brand, to Tata Motors in 2008.
What price did BMW get for Land Rover?
Soon after Canadian Graham Day was appointed by Margaret Thatcher to the position of Chairman and Managing Director of BL in 1986, BL was renamed The Rover Group plc.
The company then consisted of the car manufacturing division Austin Rover Group and the Land Rover Group after selling its bus and commercial vehicle manufacturing divisions (Leyland Trucks, Leyland Bus, and Freight Rover), as well as the spare parts and logistics company Unipart. By selling the business to British Aerospace (BAe) in 1988 for PS150 million, the group was privatized. Day continued to serve as the company’s joint CEO and chairman, and Kevin Morley was appointed MD of Rover Automobiles. In 1989, the company changed its name once more to Rover Group Holdings Limited, while its automotive division Austin Rover Group Limited abbreviated it to Rover Group Limited. By this point, every brand was still in operation with the exception of Rover, Land Rover, and MG. Austin had already been discontinued in 1987 because Graham Day’s new management believed that many of the other marque names within the former BL had been tarnished by their association with the subpar cars of the 1970s. Therefore, the aim moving forward was to focus on the upscale Rover brand.
The company’s name was changed once more to BMW (UK) Holdings Limited in 1995 after BAe sold its 80% ownership to German automaker BMW for PS800 million (a takeover that sparked outrage in the House of Commons). The long-standing partnership with BL/Rover, which had been in place since 1980, was terminated, and the Japanese automaker Honda, which held the remaining 20% stake, also sold its shares to BMW a month later. However, the licensing agreements pertaining to the production of the jointly developed Rover 200, 400, 600, and 800 models were still in effect.
BMW invested millions of pounds, yet the business did not become profitable. The entire Rover bankruptcy is thought to have cost BMW fifteen billion Marks. BMW declared its intention to sell the Rover Group in March 2000. Within two months, the Phoenix Consortium had acquired the group’s primary businesses—the MG and Rover divisions—while BMW continued to hold the manufacturing rights for the upcoming new Mini line of cars. When Ford disbanded the Premier Automotive Group in the late 2000s, Land Rover was eventually reunited with Jaguar, another former BL stablemate, to form Jaguar Land Rover.