GIRISH KARKERA: When you think of Land Rover, there are two models that come to mind immediately. One is the Range Roverof course, and the other is the Defender. As a vehicle line director of the former, what are the main aspects you keep in mind to be a step ahead?
RORY O’MURCHU: I don’t think it’s about being a step ahead of the Defender. I think it’s about being clear about what each brand is and then making sure they’re different. They’re both luxurious offerings but with the Range Rover, what we do is we look to accentuate the refinement of the vehicle and make the inside of the vehicle a tranquil sanctuary. So we’ve got certain DNA that’s different between the cars. It’s just about being different and knowing what Range Rover is.
“Customers asked us to make sure what we do is that it (electric RR) is a Range Rover first and an EV second”
GK: The electrified Range Rover was teased some time ago. Give us a few reasons why customers should wait for it.
RO: We did a lot of customer research at the beginning, and what customers asked us to make sure we do is that it’s a Range Rover first and an EV second, not the other way around. I really think we’ve done that. There’s no doubt about it – the EV will be the quietest, most refined Range Rover ever.
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The first-ever Range Rover EV will be unveiled later this year.
GK: It’s interesting because you spoke about how refinement and experience is what a Range Rover is about and that the EV can eventually take it even closer.
RO: Yeah, I think so. I think even more Range Rover. It’s the perfect propulsion for a Range Rover.
GK: Luxury customers are always looking for new experiences. Is electrification a boon for your segment as it allows you to have a radically different approach to a luxury car?
RO: It will be radically different because, as I say, it’s a Range Rover first. What we are seeing and when we’ve got a waiting list of around 33,000 customers and within that waiting list, you can see that there’s a whole load of customers that are conquest customers of other brands.
“Customers are looking for a superlative kind of attention to detail, and to be treated as special”
GK: Is the Indian customer any different?
RO: Relationship building is as important to the Indian customer as much as it is to the rest of the world. But we do see differing tastes. For example, in the locally-built Range Rovers, we’ve made them bespoke if you like, for India. We’ve got hot stone massage in the front and rear seats and the rear seat entertainment as standard. We’ve got a fridge fitted as standard, too. So we tailor the car to the region and to the customer. But I think at that really, really high end, it’s about an exquisite offering in a relationship with the customer. And that tends to be similar across the world.
GK: What are the major challenges of manufacturing a car in different locations?
RO: One of the things we see from our Pune factory is absolutely brilliant levels of quality on a par with our other production facilities. Then it’s about shipping the parts over here, assembling them and using facilities like we have in the UK. But ultimately, the end result for the customer is the high levels of quality. And that’s what really matters.
“The logistics of it are quite challenging rather than the actual manufacturing”
GK: How difficult will it be to get to that quality?
RO: It’s challenging. I mean, we have a facility in our factory in the UK where we package together the body-in-white, as it’s called, the engines, all of the parts that we then assemble. We ship them over to India, obviously, and then we assemble them here. So, you know, the logistics of it are more challenging than the actual manufacturing. And logistics are as much a part of it as the manufacturing.
Locally-produced Range Rover models have benefitted from massive price cuts.
GK: Does this mean delivery times will also come down for Range Rover?
RO: We should be able to respond more quickly to the local market for sure. We do imports and we’ll do locally built. There’ll be some derivatives that aren’t locally built. They will still be available as imports.
GK: You’ve been with the brand for so long. What is your sense of the top three things that customers in this segment look for in a luxury car?
RO: I think the comfort of the ride. We’ve got really advanced suspension on Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. So whilst it’s capable of going off-road, it’s also extremely refined and very comfortable. The second thing, then, is this tranquil sanctuary in the inside of the car. We’ve got cabin air purification. And then I’d say the third thing is the refinement again, Range Rover customers are really looking for that refinement.
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GK: In India, a Range Rover is not a common sight. Suppose you triple or quadruple your sales, do you think the novelty factor starts to fade?
RO: I think there’s a real balancing out there that we have to keep an eye on. And you know, one of the things that comes with luxury is a bit of rarity as well. But I think we’re still in ‘totally okay’ territory at the minute. If you talk about the size of the country and the number of cars we’re making when you send them out, you know, it’s not like you’re going to see Range Rovers everywhere. I think they’ll still have that rarity.
