Chery Jaguar Land Rover enters new stage, debuts all-new Range Rover Evoque

The all-new Range Rover Evoque will be put into global production in the Chery Jaguar Land Rover's Changshu plant, Jiangsu province, marking another milestone in enterprise development.

Murray Dietsch, president of Chery Jaguar Land Rover, said the all-new Range Rover Evoque is the first model to adopt the latest Premium Transverse Architecture, or PTA, which is the latest manufacturing platform independently developed by Jaguar Land Rover. The platform delivers a solution that is flexible, more efficient and electric-ready.

Designed for a young customer group, the all-new Range Rover Evoque boasts innovative technology, minimalist design and an All-Terrain Response System.

The model sports an Ingenium 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and 48-volt mild hybrid system, which offer the model superior acceleration capabilities with enhancements to fuel efficiency and refinement.

The engine, one of the winners of 2018 Ward's 10 Best Engines, has a maximum power output of 249 PS and a peak torque of 365 Nm. The engine is also produced at Chery Jaguar Land Rover's Changshu plant.

It features the ATRS all-terrain technology with the innovation technology-ClearSight Ground View, taking its of-road capabilities to new heights.

A total of 99.9 percent of the new vehicle's body components are newly designed from its predecessor, the automaker said.

The all-new Range Rover Evoque has also undergone rigorous testing. More than 280 prototypes were involved in development, certification and testing to ensure the final product's excellent quality.

The all-new Range Rover Evoque is the second model that will be put into simultaneous global production, which shows the Chery Jaguar Land Rover's outstanding competitiveness in manufacturing. In the past, models from international brands were usually localized in China after they had first been manufactured overseas.

Chery Jaguar Land Rover boasts one of Jaguar Land Rover's best manufacturing facilities globally.

The first localized model was the previous-generation Range Rover Evoque, which was followed by the Land Rover Discovery Sport, the Jaguar XFL, the Jaguar XEL and the Jaguar E-PACE.

As the first Sino-British premium automotive joint venture enterprise in China, Chery Jaguar Land Rover has been focusing on intelligent manufacturing to customize models for customers of both Jaguar and Land Rover brands.

It recently partnered with China Unicom, a telecom service provider, to introduce the 5G communication technology into manufacturing.

In December 2018, Chery Jaguar Land Rover unveiled its Design Studio in Shanghai to better learn about and reflect the voice of China in its product design.

Chris Chen, vice-president of Chery Jaguar Land Rover, said the carmaker will keep integrating localized voices with global system strength in an effort to offer British products and experiences that exceed customers' expectations. The Changshu plant has a total annual production capacity of 200,000 vehicles after its Phase II expansion was finished last year.

The carmaker said its increased capacity and sophisticated production intelligent system would lay a solid foundation for the joint venture enterprise to better compete in China. The plant has built an industrial big data platform, which covers the entire product lifecycle and full manufacturing business activities.

The plant is also configured for flexible production, making it capable of handling up to 300,000 kinds of individualized optional configurations to meet the requirements of different customers.

The internet of things has been widely applied in the plant as well. The advanced radio frequency identification system, or RFID, is used in welding, painting, assembly and logistics, among other processes, to ensure traceability of production and quality control.

The welding workshop, which boasts 322 ABB robots, can finish one car body in two minutes. It has also introduced laser as well as radar-based tools to ensure precision in production.

The trim and final workshop at the second-phase facility has adopted vehicle-mounted and handheld terminals in the logistics area, and an advanced pick-to-voice system in the workshop has improved picking efficiency by 20 percent.

Chery Jaguar Land Rover has an aluminum body workshop with 340 robots, 251 among which are self-piercing riveting robots. The job is done fully automatically.

The carmaker has built a quality management system that covers procedures from planning to the process of supervision and post-sale feedback to solve and prevent potential quality problems.

The Changshu plant also implements a people-oriented production philosophy in an in-depth manner. Its phase II plant is fitted with high-standard ergonomic equipment to create favorable working conditions for its employees.

The plant aims to protect the environment via efficient production, water recycling and solar power generation.

The carmaker said the joint venture enterprise will continue to introduce Jaguar Land Rover's latest, most advanced technology and models to the Chinese market, with a goal of exceeding the expectations of consumers.

(China Daily 04/29/2019 page19)