JLR announces Chinese factory
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Jaguar Land Rover and Chinese motor manufacturer Chery Automobile Company have formally laid the foundation stone for a new manufacturing facility in the People's Republic where their joint venture will manufacture Jaguar Land Rover vehicles and new models.
Jaguar Land Rover and Chery said they would now accelerate plans to build a joint venture manufacturing plant in Changshu, near Shanghai, as part of a 10.9bn RMB (£1bn) investment that will also include a new research and development centre and engine production facility. The project includes the creation of a new partnership brand to assemble models tailored specifically for the Chinese market, including the marketing and distribution.
A statement from the partners said the joint venture would "blend together the heritage and experience of luxury premium vehicle manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover with the intricate knowledge and understanding of Chinese customers evident at Chery".
The name of the new joint venture company is Chery Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Company.
As well as established vehicles, the partnership will also produce models for a domestic brand tailored specifically to local customer demand and both companies said they were committed to investing heavily into product innovation and advanced technologies using a new Research and Development Centre, more details of which will be released at a later date.
The Changshu facility in Jiangsu province is due for completion during 2014.
There has been rapid expansion of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands in China, where sales rose 80 per cent in the first 10 months to October 2012. In the 2011 calendar year, Jaguar Land Rover saw sales increase more than 60 per cent, driven mainly by the Jaguar XJ and XF models, and strong demand for the Range Rover Evoque.
