Jaguar Land Rover underlines commitment to Chinese manufacturing

VEHICLE manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has underlined its commitment to manufacturing in China with the opening of a new technical academy in Beijing.

The opening ceremony was attended by Prime Minister, David Cameron during his trade mission to China.

JLR chief executive Dr Ralf Speth, who was part of the trade mission as a representative of the UK’s resurgent automotive industry, said: “China is the world’s largest automotive market and a key territory for Jaguar Land Rover.

“Our Chinese National Sales Company (NSC) was established in 2010 and since that time we have seen the expansion of our dealer network to support a series of exciting new products

“It is therefore vital that we invest in the skills and training necessary to support our two great premium brands and provide our discerning Chinese customers with unrivalled quality and customer experiences.”

The Training Academy in Beijing is the second such facility to open in China and will shortly be complemented by a new academy in Guangzhou. Collectively these centres will see more than 10,500 technicians, sales consultants and service representatives trained to deliver world class levels of customer service across its 223 authorised dealers in more than 90 cities.

JLR has seen demand for its two British brands in China grow since their introduction to the market in 2003 (Land Rover) and 2004 (Jaguar).
 
In addition to the opening of the new academy, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding to supply vehicles worth £4.5bn into China. It said the MoU was a demonstration of the strong Sino-UK trade relationship forged by JLR, which supports some 40,000 jobs in the UK.

The vehicles will be produced in collaboration with Chinese joint venture partner Chery Automobile Company.

The £1bn production operation forged by the partnership will be operational in 2014. It is based at Changshu, in the Jiangshu Province and will harness the expertise of both companies to produce bespoke vehicles specifically for the Chinese market.

Jaguar Land Rover China

Timeline:

2003                 Land Rover enters the Chinese market

2004                 Jaguar enters the Chinese market

Jun 2006          First Land Rover Experience Centre in Beijing opened

May 2009          Two Parts Distribution Centres opened (in Suzhou)

May 2010          Parts Distribution Centre opened in Beijing

Jul 2010           Training Academy opened in Shanghai

Jul 2010           Jaguar Land Rover China National Sales Company (NSC) established

Oct 2010           Second Land Rover Experience Centre opened (in Guangzhou)

Mar 2011          Parts Distribution Centre opened in Guangzhou

Apr 2011           Beijing Regional Office opened

Apr 2011           Beijing Training Academy opened

Apr 2012           Chongqing Parts Distribution Centre opened

Nov 2012          Third Land Rover Experience Centre opened (in Huzhou)

Nov 2012          Joint Venture Foundation Laying Ceremony

June 2013         Guangzhou Regional Office opened