Student in need of help!

[annoyance]

Hi everyone,
My name is Eric and I'm doing a project for my undergrad marketing class. The project is about branding, and when I told my prof that I was a big car enthusiast, he suggested I do it on Land Rover, especially considering the recent changes in ownership. So if anyone on these boards has a few minutes, I would really appreciate some perspectives/quotes from some of you big Land Rover fans (and if there are any dealers on these boards, your insight would be especially appreciated!)
Here's some of the primary research I'm trying to do:

- What does the brand Land Rover stand for? Has it changed over the last few years and do you expect it to change going forward under Tata?
- What are the biggest strengths of Land Rover? Why do people choose Land Rover?
- What are the biggest weaknesses of Land Rover? Why do people choose its competitors?
- What can the brand do to grow?

If you could speak to any/all of these questions, I'd really like to hear your opinion. Feel free to debate as well. I apologize for intruding here and I hope I'm not out of line with my request, but I do appreciate anyone's input as it will really help make my project a success. Thanks in advance!

[ArmyRover]

Originally Posted by annoyance

- What does the brand Land Rover stand for? Off-road and adventureHas it changed over the last few years yesand do you expect it to change going forward under Tata?yes
- What are the biggest strengths of Land Rover? Why do people choose Land Rover?ability to go any where.
- What are the biggest weaknesses of Land Rover? head gaskets and leaksWhy do people choose its competitors?they have no competitors lol
- What can the brand do to grow?Bring the defender back to america

that is all

[stolenheron]

i'd agree with most of that. but on some serious terms.

-off-roading, adventure, overlanding, towing.
-recent years it has changed to a more city-friendly market, however the new vehicles are still completely capable offroad and have not digressed in my opinion for the more rugged older models
-tata will change them, supposedly for quality control, but the brand in itself will be land rover with its original goals.
-land rover = the car built for the apocalypse. it will be cockroaches, twinkies, and land rovers when the nukes start dropping
-weakness= leaks, head gaskets, older electrical, and older model reliabilty to some extent (but my car has yet to prove any of those)
-they do have competitors. jeep and hummer, but the competition is terrible and shitty offroad for the most part. i mean by competition i mean 4x4 SUV branded for "off-roading". Hummer is chosen not for offroading but a "baller" status for soccer moms and undereducated offroaders. jeeps are just cheaper....
-Defender in USA would be the greatest thing since sliced bread

[Wortho]

Add to that,
Land rover is a truly global vehicle, it's the first vehicle that 60% of the worlds population ever saw and 70% of every Landrover ever made is still on the road today. It was designed from the outset to go anyware and back and that design ideal has not really changed even though they are now better on road. when you buy a land rover your your not joining a club but a community you can always expect to get help from a fellow rover owner weakness's are not that different to any other mechanical thing stuff breaks if you don't care for it, but generally rovers will keep going with minor issues till somthing catasrophic happens, lesser vehicles would have already stopped and there owner fixed a minor issue this can lead some to think that Land rovers break down in a major way when really they have just been neglected.
But in a nut shell they are simply the best offroad vehicle in the world bar none.

[TrentE]

Eric,
You will find that many of the members on the site do a great deal of off-roading with their LRs and while I love my LR I may have a slightly different perspective to add. Mine is still stock and rarely gets off the pavement so while I add my 2 cents I hope other members don’t tear me apart.

- What does the brand Land Rover stand for? Has it changed over the last few years and do you expect it to change going forward under Tata?
Land Rover has a worldwide history of being able to go anywhere and do anything but it does it with a "British sense of style". When you see a LR it is not flashy (i.e. a pimped out Caddy) but rather it has a subdued and understated style that is much classier (regardless of model). The combination of ability and class so interwoven is at the heart of the brand. Even when you see a LR fully modified for off road it does not have the “hillbilly factor” doing the same thing to an old GMC pickup does (I hope not to offend anyone but don’t know how to describe it).
The brand also stands for security; you can go anywhere, do anything and still do it safely on or off road. Even when you never use that capability you know it is there and you own one because it gives you the sense of security that others can not match.
I'm not sure I see the “brand” having changed over the last number of years. I understand that the model line up is still as capable as it has ever been and there remains the understated style. I would suggest that the marketing of the vehicles has changed as Land Rover through various owners has attempted to appeal its brand to a wider market (i.e. on-road). This marketing has forced the vehicles to loose the rough edges and become more on-road friendly but the brand remains. The brand is still based on the history of adventure but the new marketing is trying to appeal to a new audience.
I would hope that under Tata the brand does not change, Land Rover has a strong following and to change the brand could alienate its core buyer and unless there is a demographic looking to replace us that would be problematic.
- What are the biggest strengths of Land Rover? Why do people choose Land Rover?
The brand is one if its biggest strengths, again ability with class. The strength of the vehicles themselves is that they are rugged, adventuresome and can go where most vehicles cannot. People choose Land Rovers for a number of reasons; I would suggest there are three main factors 1) off-road ability 2) to have a vehicle that is very stylish without being overstated and 3) a strong sense of history and community with the Land Rover, one that is not often associated with vehicles.
- What are the biggest weaknesses of Land Rover? Why do people choose its competitors?
I second Stolenheron, Land Rover is known for its reliability issues (although it remains one of the best vehicles I have ever owned). This reputation in today’s market is a large hurdle but based on my experience I’m not sure is justified. Keeping up regular maintenance is a normal part of owning any vehicle so that should not be any different on a Land Rover.
As for choosing the competition, in the new vehicle market there is a very limited number of direct competitors (MB, Caddy, BMW…) and none compare in ability. I do believe that price is a significant factor in some cases (my experience with price in Canada). A new RR will run you $115K where you can get a Caddy for $85 and have a lot more bling (again the understated style) or buy a Jeep for $20K less than a LR3. With that price gap within the model class Land Rover aims at very specific socio-economic market, given the choice without other factors I would be willing to bet a lot more people would by a Land Rover. The price gaps remain in the used vehicle area too and would cause many to go to other brands.
I know lots of people talk about the gas mileage as a competitive factor however I would argue that within the vehicle class there is often very little variance between manufactures. If I buy a new LR or a new Caddy I’m not concerned with gas mileage so if you hear that argument I’d be very skeptical. If I want gas mileage I drive my VW and I know the two don’t count as competition.
- What can the brand do to grow?
I think the new LR2 will go a long way to growing the brand in North America. The previous entry level Freelander was a poor example of a Land Rover. With the new LR2 it should attract a much larger market as many people seem to be going with the mid-sized SUV.

Sorry for the long winded answers but I hope it helps.

[ArmyRover]

Originally Posted by TrentE

Mine is still stock and rarely gets off the pavement so while I add my 2 cents I hope other members don’t tear me apart.

Rarely gets off pavement!!!!! Get a honda element you mall crawler















Just busting your balls brother it's all good most of my RRC's 156k are on road. Not a thing wrong with using them on the street.

I tend to disagree about the LR2 being the vehicle that will bring the new crowd. They gave the go ahead to the LRX and I think that will be the draw for the younger buyers. If it is priced correctly of course.

[Phlawed]

- What does the brand Land Rover stand for? Sturdy off road vehicles. Has it changed over the last few years and do you expect it to change going forward under Tata? Yes, has become more of a luxury vehicle than an offroad. Not sure what Tata will do.

- What are the biggest strengths of Land Rover? Why do people choose Land Rover? Reputation with militaries and proven abilities.

- What are the biggest weaknesses of Land Rover? Why do people choose its competitors? Newer Rovers (Disco II's in particular) have horrible computers and sensors. Someone in the 80's could have designed better computers. Brakes are known problems as well. Pretty much Land Rover had their head in their butts during the Disco II era. Awesome vehicles, poor electronics.

- What can the brand do to grow?
D90 in U.S. TDi in U.S. Offer some other vehicles cheaper with less luxury and more offroad ruggedness.

[Phlawed]

another weakness is resell value. Dont hold value much in U.S. if at all.

[Rovin4life]

Tata will actually give us money for reengineering.

thats the fixing the screwups dept for the rest of you.

[cellulararrest]

Originally Posted by Phlawed

another weakness is resell value. Dont hold value much in U.S. if at all.

Only because of their "luxury" status. No luxury vehicles hold their value at all in the US (or anywhere really).