Report: Future Jags, Land Rover Could Boast Bimmer Baby Daddy

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By on August 12, 2019

Eager to reduce R&D costs, Jaguar Land Rover and BMW forged a cross-channel bond earlier this summer, but the increasingly cozy relationship between the Anglo-German rivals likely won’t end with the mere sharing of electric drive units and internal combustion engines.

A number of JLR vehicles poised to drop from the product pipeline could come to fruition thanks to a piece of Bimmer architecture.

According to Autocar, BMW’s front-drive FAAR platform could find a home beneath a trio of models expected to bow in the middle of the coming decade: two small Jaguar crossovers and an entry-level Land Rover. While the lower-rung Land Rover — potentially a return of the Freelander⁠ — and platform-sharing pact are merely a rumor at this point, sources tell Autocar that a brace of small Jag crossovers are indeed on the way, pending an official go-ahead from top brass.

One of those crossovers would be a sportier, coupe-ified variant of the other, the story goes. Anyone who’s followed Jag’s trajectory over the past few years would see this as a no-brainer, given the market’s sudden dislike for the brand’s sinking sedans.

After announcing a deal to partner on electric drivelines, word arose that JLR would source a variety of gasoline and hybrid engines from its German rival as a way of reducing investment in its Ingenium engine line. The automaker told Wards Auto that no plans exist to outsource its own four- and six-cylinder engines.

Found beneath the new BMW 1 Series, the FAAR platform was developed with a variety of propulsion types in mind, making it a versatile sled for future vehicles of varying greenness. With Europe — and especially the UK — ditching diesel in droves, any new Jag or Land Rover model would need to incorporate serious fuel-saving technologies. The cost savings of a partnership become clear when you consider JLR’s need for both electrified engine tech and a new platform to handle models positioned at the bottom of its lineup.

The British automaker lost nearly half a billion dollars in the last quarter as it seeks to adapt to a vastly different auto landscape than it faced at the decade’s dawn.

[Image: Jaguar Land Rover]

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