Jaguar and Land Rover are supposedly going to follow the paths of Volkswagen with their plans to reduce the number of platforms that they use. Understandably so, because Volkswagen is doing well and has managed to stay profitable even during the dismal economic situation of Europe. The reason why that has been possible is because they have very few numbers of adaptable and customizable platforms which they use to underpin a lot of their cars, without the need to develop new ones. As of now, the Jaguar-Land Rover group uses around seven different platforms, a figure which they want to reduce to two or three more adaptable ones to use in an array of new vehicles.

The shared platforms will be used by 70 to 80 percent of JLR’s core models by volume. Land Rover’s current models are based on four different platforms: Defender, Freelander/Evoque, Discovery/Range Rover Sport and Range Rover. Jaguar also has devoted platforms for its XF, XJ and XK models. As per the information from Jaguar’s global brand director, Adrian Hallmark, company’s engineers were looking at the Volkswagen Group’s range of modular platforms, specifically the MQB, as a case study. According to Adrian Hallmark, “It won’t happen overnight. VW’s MQB platform will take seven years to roll out across the models it will underpin.”

The Volkswagen group has already started sales of MQB-based cars, which includes Audi A3, VW Golf, and Seat Leon, however the recently launched second-generation new Beetle is still based on the PQ35 platform, which was incidentally launched in 2003 with the Mk5 Golf. Jaguar and Land Rover are already sharing a number of expensive parts, which comprises of infotainment systems, drivetrain components (many JLR models already share engines) and seats. For J-LR to execute this stratagem they will require a wide variety of cars to underpin, therefore whenever the new platform or platforms are developed it will take them less than seven years to ‘roll them out’ across the range.

via World car fans