In an effort to expand its presence in the smartphone market, British automotive manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has announced plans to sell its own smartphone. It joins the previous efforts to sell branded smartphones from luxury automakers, including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and Bentley.
Those attempts, however, failed to find a market; the devices proved to be too expensive, the specs weren't that stellar and there weren't enough units manufactured for them to succeed in the global market. Will Land Rover's bespoke smartphone effort succeed?
Land Rover, which is owned by Tata Motors, has joined forces with consumer electronics company Bullitt Group to launch a line of smartphones and accessories by early 2017, Lindsay Weaver, who handles licensing and branded goods at Jaguar Land Rover, said in a statement.
"Incorporating iconic Land Rover design and innovative technology into the mobile phone sector with Bullitt Group presents an exciting challenge and fantastic opportunity to take the brand into a new dimension. An engineering and design team from Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations will be assigned to the partnership and subsequently deliver a number of bespoke applications tailored to Land Rover brand and product values," Weaver said.
While Land Rover will be lending its name and input to the final product, the company itself will not be assembling the actual smartphone. It is not yet clear what the specifications of the Land Rover smartphone will be, but the device will most likely run on a version of Google's Android operating system, according to Livemint.
That's where Bullitt comes in. The electronics manufacturer will be building the gadgets for Land Rover.
Land Rover is known for coming up with tough, durable vehicles — the same features consumers can expect from the set of smartphones in 2017.
"We are confident the new range of products will perfectly encapsulate everything that Land Rover represents, appealing to those who already love the brand and providing an introduction to those who are yet to discover it," Peter Stephens, CEO of Bullitt Group, said.
In the past, Bullitt has built custom devices for companies such as Caterpillar, JCB and Ministry of Sound.
