National sales initiative set to transform Jaguar's fortunes

Jaguar Land Rover, the British-based car manufacturer owned by the Indian industrial group Tata, plans to set up a national sales company in China. The initiative will be launched at the beginning of next year with the aim of boosting sales in the world's biggest car market.

David Smith, global CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, told China Daily that the carmaker aims to have "sustainable growth" in China through its new national sales company.

The sales company will be responsible for imports of all Jaguar Land Rover vehicles and their distribution to the carmaker's dealerships across China. It will also monitor dealers' retail, parts supply and post-sales services to Chinese customers.

At present, four out of almost 50 Jaguar Land Rover dealerships in China have the right to import vehicles.

Smith said: "We will have a much bigger opportunity to grow in China in the coming years."

Sales of Jaguar Land Rover are expected to rise by 10 percent this year, compared to the 12,000 vehicles sold in 2008, the carmaker said. This year China is expected to be Jaguar Land Rover's third-biggest global market, after the United Kingdom and the United States. Last year it was ranked as number five.

Smith said: "Over the next few years, we will add significantly to our dealer networks in China and will bring in an increased range of products to the country.

"China will be very central in all of our plans and Chinese customers will be very central to our new product development initiatives."

The carmaker's lineup now includes Land Rover Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Discovery 3 and Freelander 2 as well as the Jaguar XJ, XK and XF.

At the seventh China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition, Land Rover launched the Range Rover Sport, equipped with a 3.0-liter diesel engine. The model retails for 888,000 yuan in China.

(China Daily 11/30/2009 page6)