Chery Jaguar Land Rover steps on the gas in Chinese market
Chery Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Co launched its Jaguar E-PACE SUV on Thursday, in the latest example of the evolution of the Sino-British joint venture strengthening its competitive edge in the Chinese market.
The coupe SUV is Jaguar Land Rover’s first model produced globally at the same time — at both CJLR’s newly updated Changshu plant in East China’s Jiangsu province and at a plant in Graz, Austria, run by JLR’s partner Magna Inc.
“This shows JLR’s very highlevel recognition of us,” said Chris Chen, deputy president of the joint venture.
In the past, models from international brands were usually localized in China after they had been manufactured overseas first.
“So we were under a lot of pressure when the localization decision was made three years ago, but its successful delivery today has shown our strong comprehensive capabilities,” Chen said.
Murray Dietsch, president of CJLR, said the E-PACE, which blends the comfort of a sedan, the performance of a sports car and the functionality of an SUV, will help boost Jaguar’s popularity in China.
Targeted at young people who choose to stand out, he said the model has opened Jaguar up to a new segment, which is now not big but is fast expanding, and is thus making the brand more accessible in the country.
Dietsch said it is also of great significance for the young joint venture, which launched its first model in 2015, in fulfilling its promise to deliver five models in three years.
Besides the Jaguar E-PACE, the company has launched four models under the Jaguar and Land Rover brands — the Range Rover Evoque, the Land Rover Discovery Sport, the Jaguar XFL and the Jaguar XEL.
“The E-PACE is a significant milestone for the company, being the third Jaguar, the fifth vehicle localized and the first model coming out of our plant’s phase-two expansion,” Murray said.
Finished in late June, the state-of-the-art second phase at its Changshu plant consists of a globally advanced servo press line, a new trim and final workshop and an expanded fully automatic car body workshop, enabling intelligent, flexible and customized production.
Covering 98,122 square meters, it is designed to produce 70,000 cars a year, bringing the total annual output of the Changshu plant to 200,000 units.
The carmaker said the increased capacity and sophisticated production intelligent system will enable it to offer a richer variety of models in the Chinese market, the largest worldwide for the British carmaker.
The newly updated Changshu plant is expected to lay a very solid foundation for the joint venture to better compete in the fierce Chinese market.
Adopting the industrial internet, it has built a big data platform which covers the entire life cycle of its products and all manufacturing activities. The plant is also configured for flexible production, making it capable of handling up to 300,000 types of personalized configurations to meet the requirements of different customers.
The Internet of Things has been widely applied in the plant as well. Radio frequency identification, or RFID, is used in processes including welding, painting, trim and final workshops, to ensure traceability of production and quality control.
The fully automatic welding workshop has introduced laser as well as radar-based tools to ensure precision production.
After cars roll off the assembly line, they are re-measured against standard statistics in an all-round way to prevent any potential quality issues.
The trim and final workshop at the second-phase facility has adopted vehiclemounted and handheld terminals in the logistics area, and an advanced pick-to-voice system in the workshop has improved work efficiency by 20 percent.
The carmaker has built a quality management system that covers procedures from planning to process supervision and after-sales feedback to solve and prevent potential quality problems.
The Changshu plant also demonstrates the joint venture’s emphasis on people. Its second phase is fitted with high-standard ergonomic equipment to create a more favorable working condition for its employees.
The plant has also set an example in terms of environmental protection with its efficient production, water recycling and solar power generation.
CJLR said the updated facility marks another step in the cooperation between its two parent companies and will help to facilitate the upgrading of China’s premium car segment.
Among others, its manufacturing activities are contributing to people’s increasingly environmentally aware lifestyles and its products will continue to offer Chinese consumers chances to experience authentic British cars.
Over the years, the joint venture has become a leading example of Sino-British industrial cooperation, wowing its Chinese customers with its models under both brands, the company said.
Murray said the joint venture will continue to introduce Jaguar Land Rover’s latest, most advanced technology and models to the Chinese market, aimed at exceeding the expectations of consumers.
The E-PACE is a significant milestone for the company, being the third Jaguar, the fifth vehicle localized ...” Murray Dietsch,