EVEN if you’re not much of a car nut, you’ll probably have heard of Land Rover.
The luxury 4×4 brand has become increasingly popular over the years, and you’ll often see its cars rock up at a film premiere dropping off the latest celeb, or even ferrying cabinet ministers and royalty about when on official duties.
The much-loved British manufacturer has a rich UK history, with factories in Liverpool and Solihull employing thousands of skilled workers.
But who actually owns Land Rover? And what are its plans for the future? We decided to find out.
Land Rover was originally called the Rover Company back in 1885, producing bikes instead of the SUVs and off-roaders we know today.
The Land Rover name was created in 1948 by the Rover Company for a basic 4WD off-road vehicle – with the design apparently inspired by the American Jeep.
In 1978 Land Rover Limited was founded, but it had already been absorbed under the Rover-Triumph division of British Leyland Motor Corporation.
Moving on to 1994 and the struggling Rover Group was bought by BMW, although even the financial clout and expertise of the famous German firm couldn’t bring the success everyone was hoping for.
With the MG brand being sold onto a private consortium, and BMW focusing on reinventing MINI, it was down to Ford to leap to the rescue and take on the ailing 4×4 manufacturer.
This move meant Land Rover was now reunited with Jaguar under Ford’s ownership, although both British car makers didn’t last long with the Blue Oval steering the ship and, by 2008, they were on the move again.
Indian multinational firm, Tata Group (under Tata Motors), bought both Land Rover and Jaguar, and in 2013 the company was renamed under a single banner – Jaguar Land Rover.
Bringing things right up to date and the company has announced plans to rebrand as JLR and launch a host of new luxury electric cars.
So, there we have it, one of the UK’s most famous car companies can trace its roots back to a humble bike factory, but now under strong, successful ownership, JLR is now on the verge of a new era and can look forward to producing more of its magic in the Midlands.
