JLR inaugurates new manufacturing facility in China

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has set up its first overseas manufacturing facility in Changshu, China. The Range Rover Evoque will be the first model to be built under the first Chinese-British automotive joint venture, with Chery Automobile Company Ltd.

The factory is a part of Rs 10,895 crore joint venture investment plan, and took two years to construct. The 4,00,000 sq mt facility is located in the Changshu Economic Development Zone north of Shanghai.

Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover, and Yin Tongyao, Chairman and CEO, Chery Automobile Company, welcomed the formal opening of the facility that aims to be the most advanced and efficient car factory in China.

By 2016, the facility is expected to build three JLR models with a total production capacity of 1,30,000 units a year. The vehicles will be manufactured in highly-automated press shops – including cutting-edge aluminium and steel technologies – along with a steel body shop comprising 306 robots, an energy-efficient paint shop and an ergonomically-friendly final assembly line.

A new aluminium body shop, the first in China, is already under construction, at the Changshu facility, to support the introduction of new Jaguar products.

The China-made Land Rover Evoque will have its debut at the Guangzhou Motor Show next month.