It remains a long shot at this stage, but speculation is mounting that Jaguar Land Rover plans to expand global portfolio, and Fiat Chrysler’s Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands are looking like potential candidates.
According to
, Jaguar Land Rover insiders have said that the company’s top brass are discussing the possibility of purchasing other luxury brands that would complement the company's current line-up, in order to boost its volumes, thereby allowing it to remain competitive.
Although the insiders haven’t specifically mentioned the two Italian marques, FCA is considering various options at the moment, and selling Alfa Romeo and Maserati is one potential scenario, Bloomberg reports.
A sale to Jaguar Land Rover would make sense on many levels, given the potential for platform and technology sharing between the high-end products offered by both marques, although in this case the Italian platforms would most certainly make way for the aluminium-intensive architecture that JLR has invested heavily in in recent years.
Thus the next Guilia (and its rumoured larger sibling) would likely share much of its genetic makeup with Jaguar’s XE and XF, while Maserati’s sedan and SUV range would also be built around Jaguar’s aluminium platform, while Jaguar would no doubt also assist in electrifying the Italian marques.
Alfa Romeo and Maserati could certainly enjoy a more secure future under JLR ownership, providing that the brands were allowed to retain their distinctive character in the styling and overall ‘feel’ of the the vehicles, and history would be on their side.
Fears abounded when Tata Motors purchased the Jaguar and Land Rover brands back in 2008, and yet the two marques have thrived like never before under Tata ownership. In fact, the JLR unit, which is currently Britain’s biggest car company, has doubled its sales volumes and tripled its turnover in the last five years alone.
Recently surpassing the 600 000 annual sales mark, it is currently Europe’s fastest growing carmaker, and is investing heavily in electrification, with plans to offer full-electric or hybrid variants of every model from 2020.