KINGSTON, Jamaica — ATL Automotive, exclusive local dealer of Jaguar Land Rover automobiles, has announced a reduction on the prices of some models sold by the dealership.

The price reduction, which is as high as $2,000,000 dollars on some models, follows on the heels of the government’s announcement to roll back the Common External Tariff (CET) on motor vehicles 2000cc and up.

“We are extremely happy with this move by the government and have wasted no time in making these luxury brands more affordable for the Jamaican people. The market has been very challenging for the car industry since the CET increased two years ago. We anticipate that the roll-back will have a positive impact and should be mutually beneficial for businesses and customers as we seek to increase our sales and likewise customers get to drive away the car of their dreams,” said Danville Walker, group managing director.

The CET is being reduced from 30 per cent to 20 per cent, the figure it was two years before.

The dealer’s best-selling model, the Land Rover Discovery 4 will now be available at $12.8M, down from $14.4M.

“This vehicle, now in its 25th year of production, is a legend in the Land Rover line-up and was rather popular at our Land Rover Experience event held in Barbican recently. Close to 400 Jamaicans came out to enjoy the private off-roading experience in Land Rovers over the two-day period, so there’s no question as to whether the market loves the brand. It was just a joy to see the facial expressions and hear the comments from the participants as the drivers took them over steep inclines, rocks, sand, gravel, holes and deep waters”, Walker added.

Jamaicans in the west were treated to a similar experience last month at the River Bumpkin Farm in Trelawny, dubbed the Land Rover Escape Route. The company has plans to take the experience across the entire island over the course of the next few months. The Ranger Rover Sport, Range Rover Evoque and Freelander 2 are the other models used in the experience events; all of which have seen a reduction in prices.

Land Rovers are positioned worldwide as dual purpose luxury vehicles fit for city and country, demonstrating extreme off-roading prowess over most other SUVs.

In declaring the superiority of the Land Rover brand, Service Manager, Raj Jadusingh points out that the vast majority of 4×4 vehicles are cars first and then 4x4s.

“You will find that their off-roading systems are an afterthought tacked on for marketing and therefore are not a priority for engineers. In Land Rovers it’s the reverse as engineers are mandated to build vehicles with off-road performance at their core whilst still delivering superb on-road performance. None is given priority over the other. This results in engineering solutions unique to Land Rover and establishes it as an icon”, he said.

On sportier side is the Jaguar XF sedan, which has the most powerful turbo petrol engine in its class.