BMW to Collaborate with Jaguar Land Rover on 5 New Models
BMW is no stranger to the world of collaboration. They collaborated with Toyota to produce the new BMW Z4 and the Toyota Supra, and there’s word on the motoring streets that they may now be lending a helping hand to Jaguar Land Rover on five upcoming new models.
The relationship between the two companies started off with a collaboration into developing Electric Drive Units, and the partnership is stronger than ever. Sources close to the BMW and Jaguar Land Rover revealed that BMW will be supplying both conventional and hybrid versions of their four and six-cylinder motors to the Tata-owned company, adding to the speculation that the two have something bigger planned for the immediate future.
The new models in question include two new Jaguar ‘Pace’ models, including a small SUV crossover and a similarly sized coupe crossover. These are not going to be high performance models, instead placing full focus on being efficient and possibly hybrid, or even full electric, models. Another model that finds its name on the list is the next generation Range Rover Evoque, which is rumoured to share its platform with the BMW X1, as well as the next generation Land Rover Discovery Sport. The final model to be part of this cross-manufacturer collaboration is an unnamed Land Rover model which is expected to be the new entry-level model to the Land Rover marque, with its styling based on the expressive Land Rover Defender and possibly inheriting the iconic ‘Freelander’ badge.
The platform that all of these models have in common is called the FAAR platform and will make its debut underpinning the upcoming BMW 1-Series. The platform was highly engineered to support petrol, hybrid and fully-electric powertrains. If this collaboration receives the final greenlight towards 2025, then we should see around 1.5-million units of the FAAR platform being produced per year.
FAQ
Q: What BMW engines will Jaguar Land Rover use in the new models?
BMW will supply both conventional and hybrid versions of their four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines to Jaguar Land Rover for the five new models, building on their existing collaboration that started with Electric Drive Units development.
Q: Which Jaguar and Land Rover models will use BMW platforms?
The collaboration includes two new Jaguar 'Pace' models (a small SUV crossover and coupe crossover), the next-generation Range Rover Evoque, the next Land Rover Discovery Sport, and a new entry-level Land Rover model that may revive the 'Freelander' badge.
Q: What is the FAAR platform that these models will share?
The FAAR platform is BMW's highly engineered architecture that will debut in the upcoming BMW 1-Series and supports petrol, hybrid, and fully-electric powertrains, with around 1.5-million units expected to be produced if the collaboration gets final approval by 2025.
Q: Will these new Jaguar Land Rover models be performance focused?
No, these new models will focus on efficiency rather than high performance, with emphasis on hybrid or fully-electric powertrains rather than sporty driving dynamics.
Should You Buy It?
Hold your horses, boet. These BMW-Jaguar Land Rover collaboration models are still in development and won't hit South African showrooms until around 2025 or later. If you're in the market for a premium compact SUV right now, consider the current Range Rover Evoque from around R890,000 or the BMW X1 from approximately R650,000. The upcoming collaboration promises more efficient hybrid and electric options, so if you can wait and want cutting-edge tech with that proper Land Rover luxury, these new models could be worth the patience. For now though, buy what's available if you need wheels immediately.
