Jaguar Land Rover looks east

JAGUAR Land Rover has given one of its clearest indications so far of its intent to capitalise on new markets in Asia.

While the Indian-owned firm was attracting all the headlines at the New York Auto Show – where it launched its all-new Range Rover Sport – a quieter revolution was taking place in South Korean and Singapore.

The firm, which makes the Evoque at Halewood on Merseyside, used the Seoul Motorshow to showcase several of its other new attractions – the all-new Range Rover, the Jaguar F-Type sports car and the Jaguar XJ Ultimate.

Flying the flag for the firm was design director Ian Callum, who was making his first visit to Korea and eager to spread the Britishness of the brand.

Telling Korean buyers about the new sports car, he said: “This is our first two-seater Jaguar sports car since the wonderful E-Type. It showcases the best of British design, engineering and technological innovation. We now have our strongest range of products on the road for several decades.”

David McIntyre, JLR managing director in South Korea said: “We have our latest products here on display. These products offer the highest levels of performance, luxury, and quality. But most importantly, they each have the type of highly distinct British design, exterior and interior, which make Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles so desirable.”

Jaguar Land Rover is performing strongly in the wider Asia Pacific region, with sales up 38% year-on-year. South Korea is an important market for the brand with February sales up 40% in the year-to-date, hence the firm’s decision to send in the big guns.

In a separate move, the company has also announced it is to open a new sales office in Singapore. The firm announced the move at a prestigious event hosted by the British High Commission in Singapore.