Short Torque

Jaguar's 1st China-made model to hit market

Jaguar Land Rover's third China-made model, the long-wheelbase Jaguar XF, will hit the Chinese market later this year, joining Land Rover's Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport. Designed for Chinese consumers, the model, which is 75 percent made of aluminum alloy, is almost one-third stronger than the first generation and offers more precise control.

Chery Jaguar Land Rover released the news after a new workshop dedicated to aluminum car bodies started production at its Changshu plant on April 7. The first of its kind in China, the workshop has 335 robots and its production boasts 100 percent automation.

Lu takes the helm as Dongfeng Infiniti GM

Lu Yi has joined Dongfeng Infiniti to replace Gaby-Luise Wuest as general manager and Wuest will resume her work as Infiniti's COO in Hong Kong. The appointment of Lu, a veteran who has worked at many automakers including BMW and Jaguar Land Rover, has taken effect from April 8.

Wuest was appointed to the post in January after Daniel Kirchert's resignation. Like Lu, Wuest, Kirchert and Infiniti President Roland Krueger worked for BMW. Infiniti is one of the fastest-growing automakers in the Chinese market. It sold 40,200 units in 2015, a 34 percent year-on-year increase.

Three automakers make major vehicle recalls

Three automakers announced major recalls on the Chinese mainland, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

Volkswagen AG and Porsche are recalling from April 18 more than 200,000 SUVs sold on the Chinese mainland. Made between 2010 and this year, 103,569 Touaregs and 108,910 Cayennes will be recalled because they have a circlip that could come loose and prevent the car from braking properly or cause the pedal bearing to break. The automakers said they would arrange authorized dealers to check if those cars have the problem and install a new circlip if necessary.

Jaguar Land Rover is recalling 36,145 imported Jaguar XJ and XF models from July 1 because of faulty idler wheels.

JAC Motors inks 10b yuan deal with NextEv

JAC Motors has inked a 10 billion yuan ($1.54 billion) deal with NextEv on new-energy vehicles and smart, connected cars, the Shanghai-listed Chinese automaker announced in a statement on Thursday. It saw a limit up on the morning of April 8. NextEv, with registered capital of $255 million, is one of China's startups aspiring to make electric and smart supercars. Set up in 2014 by founder William Li and a group of Internet entrepreneurs, it is backed by Tencent Holdings and Hillhouse Capital.

MOTORING

(China Daily 04/11/2016 page19)