What is happening at Land Rover? Recently, Jaguar Land Rover rebranded itself (now known as JLR), adding more brands to its lineup and placing the iconic Land Rover name into a seemingly less significant role in the new “House of Brands.” Although officials didn’t provide detailed reasoning, interviews with JLR COO Lennard Hoornik and Range Rover managing director Geraldine Ingham have begun to clarify the intentions behind these changes.

What’s Happening to Land Rover?

Throughout these discussions, JLR leaders have hesitated to recognize that Land Rover is being downplayed. They emphasize that the distinctive green logo, referred to as a “trustmark,” will continue to feature on vehicles to represent key values such as off-road performance. However, whether this logo will be on all former Land Rover products remains uncertain, as Ingham noted that “badge removal is part of our minimalistic design strategy.”

Hoornik remains adamant that the Land Rover badge is an essential symbol and will be “refined” in the future, rather than removed. He also highlighted the flourishing Land Rover Classic division, which restores vintage models for affluent customers, comparable to Jaguar Classic’s efforts with its heritage vehicles.

What both executives are reluctant to acknowledge is that they also believe Land Rover’s brand strength has diminished. Reducing the brand to just a logo and a restoration service without further explanation implies that it may struggle to sell vehicles like it used to. This is echoed by chief creative officer Jerry McGovern’s earlier comments, noting that “Range Rover and Defender have already become strong brands. While we cherish the Land Rover name, its value doesn’t compare to that of Range Rover which is gaining popularity.”

In essence, Land Rover seems to be outdated. McGovern pointed out that “people say they drive a Range Rover, not a Land Rover.” With the successes of products like the Range Rover and Defender, and due to the confusing naming conventions – is it really a Land Rover Range Rover SV Autobiography LWB? Yes, it technically is – the public seems to have shifted its focus from the Land Rover name to the specific model they own. JLR recognizes that embracing this trend may be more beneficial than resisting it.

Understanding the House of Brands

“This creates some complexity,” said Hoornik regarding the brand division, “but it fosters significant clarity for each brand.” By transitioning Range Rover, Defender, and Discovery into distinct brands instead of Land Rover models, each can develop its own identity and direction. Thus, a Defender can distinctly differ from a Range Rover across its entire product lineup.

Now, each brand (including Jaguar) is managed by its own director who reports to Hoornik. This allows for dedicated focus on each brand, including regular meetings to discuss strategies. “Instead of having a single meeting for Jaguar and Land Rover,” he explained, “I now hold separate meetings weekly for Jaguar, Defender, Range Rover, and Discovery.” This restructured management approach extends down to regional and market levels, where each brand now has its own managers instead of relying on one local manager for multiple brands.

Hoornik and Ingham are confident that these brands will thrive independently. As Ingham notes, Range Rover is already considered a “robust, independent range of vehicles.” McGovern is also correct; no one identifies their Range Rover as a “Land Rover Range Rover.” Defender sales have increased significantly—Hoornik shared that they are now selling five to six times more globally than they did before their substantial redesign, which transformed them from an outdated body-on-frame vehicle to a thoroughly modern off-road option.

The price has nearly doubled, and many of those buying the Defender are newcomers to the brand. This shift has led him to believe that the standalone Defender brand will thrive.

However, he is not as optimistic about the Discovery model. Although Discovery has a strong fan base and performs reliably in sales, Hoonik suggests, “we are completely reimagining Discovery.” Whether it will undergo a total overhaul like what Jaguar is currently experiencing is still uncertain, but he hinted that the existing Discovery and Discovery Sport may not measure up to the success of the Defender.

Speaking of Jaguar, we recently spoke with its brand manager, Rawdon Glover, who shared that the brand is being completely rethought from the ground up. The existing lineup has been scrapped, a new design language is in development, and there are plans for an upscale sales experience. The first model in its upcoming luxury electric lineup, priced over $100,000, will be revealed in December. Hoonik emphasized, “If the new Jag were displayed on the Concept Lawn at Pebble Beach today, it would capture everyone’s attention.”

Just trust us

A common theme emerged during discussions with Hoonik, Ingham, Glover, and McGovern: trust us; we know our direction. Each mentioned a significant long-term strategy that they are hesitant to detail fully, but they assured us it will come together in time. “We’ve passed the tough part,” Hoonik stated. “We have a plan.” The public just needs to remain patient as new products roll out gradually, according to Stuart Schorr, JLR North America vice president of communications, who reiterated, “It’s a long-term strategy and there’s much more to come.”