“We Want to Transform Land Rover”
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interview by Hadi Soedarsono
FORD’S PREMIER AUTOMOTIVE Group (PAG) is the umbrella organisation that collects the Blue Oval’s luxury brands – Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo – under one administrative roof.
And with the president of PAG’s Asia-Pacific office, Dr Alexander Klose, in attendance at Regent Motors’ relaunch of the Land Rover brand here two weeks ago, CarBuyer couldn’t resist grabbing a quick interview. Here are highlights:
CarBuyer: The Land Rover range is pretty top heavy, with a big price difference between the Freelander and Discovery. Any plans to introduce new models to bridge the gap? Will there also be a more affordable car than the Freelander?
Alexander Klose: In the passenger car segment, you will get the all-new Freelander in the near future. We have plans to expand the Land Rover product range and we are potentially looking at different directions. Unfortunately, that’s all I can tell you at this moment.
CB: Do you think Land Rover’s DNA is too restrictive? Porsche has veered from its sportscar heritage to do the Cayenne Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), but could Land Rover ever produce a sports car?
AK: Our DNA belongs to making SUVs and we are sticking to that. We strongly believe we should make a good use of our strength to expand our product range and attract new customers.
CB: Has your brand-building for Land Rover been successful so far in the Asian market?
AK: Land Rover has been a brand with an old, but successful line-up. But right now we want to transform it into something more. Our current product range or even the subsequent models should speak for themselves: Land Rover is a premium product. However, there are countries, which haven’t accepted that because these regions are more traditional. As for Singapore, China and Korea, the brand has been accepted very quickly to how we position it to be.
CB: As a principal, how are you supporting Regent Motors in transforming Land Rover’s image?
AK: As a principal, the best way that we can support would be to provide the distributor with suitable vehicles they can market locally.
