Jaguar Land Rover struts its stuff
- Source: Global Times
- [08:24 January 30 2011]
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By Chen Xiaomin
Two multinational companies known for their upscale, stylish designs showed off their latest works on the same day last week in Beijing: Italian fashion designer Prada debuted its first catwalk show outside Europe and UK-based luxury vehicle maker Jaguar Land Rover unveiled its latest models in the largest Jaguar showroom worldwide.
Expansion of the Jaguar Land Rover sales network may be the first step for the company's owner, India's Tata Motors, to gain a strong foothold in the world's fastest-growing luxury auto market.
Jaguar Land Rover plans to produce more than 50,000 vehicles a year from a new plant in China employing up to 5,000 staff, the Financial Times reported last year.
The paper said Jaguar Land Rover is negotiating with large State-controlled vehicle makers and with Chinese regions to find the best bridgehead into the market.
Domestic media reports said Jaguar Land Rover visited Chery Automobile, China's largest exporter and Chang'an Automobile, the Chinese partner of Ford Motor Co and Mazda Motor Corp.
However, the process of screening domestic partners might not be that easy, and analysts question Jaguar Land Rover's prospects for producing vehicles in China.
"We are a long way from being able to offer any information about localization," Bob Grace, president of Jaguar Land Rover China, told the Global Times, saying that market analysis, partner selection and government negotia-tions haven't been finished yet.
Independent auto analyst Jia Xinguang told the Global Times that there are not many automakers left for foreign vehicle manufacturers to pair up with to produce cars in China.
SAIC Motor Corp, China's largest automaker, has tie-ups with General Motors and Volkswagen. The second largest automaker Dongfeng Motor Group Co is cooperating with Nissan Motor Co and Honda Motor Co.
