He holds a masters of business administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from GMI Engineering and Management Institute (formerly General Motors Institute). Before joining Ford, Bernardini worked for McKinsey & Co.
He lives in Oakville with his wife, Lucy, and their two children, Katherine, 9, and Michael, 5.
Vaughan: I notice you're dropping the prices and offering special equipment on the X-Type. Is that the future of Jaguar -- discounting?
Bernardini: The premium compact segment is one of the fastest-growing segments in the automotive industry. Jaguar, like any other company, must take a look at what our competitors are doing and ensure that we are offering the most compelling proposition -- and with the 3.0-litre X-Type, we are doing just that. The pricing realignment was a strategic move to offer more horsepower and more equipment, placing the 3.0-litre X-Type in the "sweet spot" of the premium compact segment.
Vaughan: The Land Rover Discovery is probably terrific for chasing antelopes across the savannah but it's a miserable beast to drive in the city. However, the new LR3
introduced at the New York Auto Show has comfort goodies like a fully independent electronic air suspension and seems to be
much more user-friendly for
us urbanites. Is that the
direction you're going?
Bernardini: The Discovery has proven to be very popular and has built up a loyal owner base that like its toughness, go-anywhere ability and its British values. The new Land Rover LR3 will offer unmatched cabin spaciousness and cabin versatility; it has seven seats that all face forward and even the rear pair are big enough for adults. It is a car built from conviction, not compromise, with bold styling, premium cabin design and materials. The LR3 is as much an urban vehicle as a country vehicle with capability that it is ideally suited to both.
Vaughan: How much can you grow sales with this new product and will it overcome Land Rover's quality problems?
Bernardini: The Land Rover LR3 will offer class-leading customer satisfaction. It is the most thoroughly engineered and tested Land Rover in history, using the very best engineering processes from Ford, Jaguar and Volvo. We're convinced sales and quality surveys will show this -- as they have with Range Rover.
Vaughan: The power for the LR3 is from a 300-horsepower, 4.4-litre V-8 sourced from corporate cousin Jaguar. What about the high-end Range Rover? It currently has an engine licensed from BMW and the licence is expiring. Is it going to get a Jaguar engine instead?
Bernardini: The 300-hp V-8 engine is powerful, smooth, refined and torque-y and has been specially adapted to Land Rover requirements. The Jaguar-sourced engine is perfectly matched to the new Land Rover LR3. With regard to the use of a Jaguar-sourced engine for Range Rover -- as you know, we don't disclose future product plans, but I will tell you that we are very pleased with the current engine in the Range Rover, and have no information regarding a licence expiration. That said, the company never rules out looking within the Premier Automotive Group for component sharing.
Vaughan: There's a radical new aluminum-bodied Aston Martin DB9, which Jeremy Cato tells me is one of the most sophisticated and technically advanced sports cars in the world. How many can you sell in Canada and when?
Bernardini: The Aston Martin DB9, the sixth new car from the company in less than two and a half years, will have a production of more than 2,000 per year, compared with 1,000 DB7's per year. Aston Martin will sell more than 500 DB9's this year in North America. Approximately, 4 per cent of those will be sold here in Canada. Deliveries of the coupe will commence in autumn, 2004, with the convertible coming before the end of the year.
Michael Vaughan is the co-host with Jeremy Cato of Car/Business, Monday nights at 8:30 p.m. on Report on Business Television. Michael Vaughan Live is on at 8 p.m. Monday to Friday.
mvaughan@robtv.com
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