Jeffrey AronsonNew CEO
After 46 years at JLR, beginning as an apprentice, Adrian Mardell announced his desire to step down as CEO after three years in the role. Tata’s P. B. Balaji will succeed Mardell in November.
Like Mardell, whose financial acumen helped JLR achieve significant revenues, Balaji has served in financial roles, most recently as Tata’s Group Chief of Financial Affairs. Mardell’s CEO years coincided with the controversial rebranding of Jaguar.
New Jaguar
We had our first in-person meet with the Jaguar Type 00 prototype at the Open Studio in Monterey this last August. The evening production, on an invitation-only basis, placed spotlights on the French Ultramarine Blue prototype, which sat chained off from the surrounding crowds. We wondered about how much of the doors, front-end lighting, rear hatch and ground clearance would make it into production, especially as the promotion surrounding the car indicates the first iteration will be a two-door coupe.
Outside, we enjoyed a Series I XKE, a V-12 powered XKS convertible and a very rare XJ 220 supercar. No question, Jaguar has produced many exquisite designs. We swapped impressions with Ethan Vu, Cupertino, CA, while he shared photos of off-roading in his ’97 NAS Defender 90. His friend Clarice admitted that she found the Defender unsettling when off-roading but really enjoyed joining Ethan in his adventures.
New Editions
Defender, Discovery and Range Rover have all announced new editions of their current lineups. We’re distressed, but not surprised, that none of these editions add practicality or functionality. New features, colors and interior kit could provide the Land Rover of your dreams; if only we could import the Land Rover Classic Churchill edition.
Defender Trophy
Ready to test yourself? There’s another round of the Defender Trophy competition upcoming. Apply for national competition at Land Rover USA and look for Defender Trophy. Who knows? Maybe you’ll qualify for the international conservation event next year?
Defender Service Awards
Voting for the latest Defender Service Awards will run from October 3–19; check online at www.landroverusa.com. Once again, non-profit organizations in one of these categories can apply to win a Defender 130: Animal Welfare, Community Services, Search and Rescue, Veterans and Civil Service Outreach. An additional category provides the previous year’s finalists the opportunity compete again.
You can vote for the finalists of your choice once daily after October 3. We’re rooting for the “home team” of Vermont Adaptive Sports, but every candidate deserves its potential win.
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