On October 21, the Changshu Plant of Chery Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Co., Ltd. (CJLR) with a joint investment from Chery and Jaguar Land Rover was inaugurated. At the inaugural ceremony, the 1st JV-branded homemade model Range Rover Evoque rolled offline.
The plant’s inauguration marks a historic step of Chery’s internationalization strategy. The official operation of the joint venture will create a lot of international experience for Chery in multinational management, enterprise management, marketing and channel operation, especially technical R & D.
With a total area of 360,000 square meters (welding, coating, assembly and R & D workshops and auxiliary facilities) and a planned initial production capacity of 130,000 units, the plant will be capable of manufacturing all aluminum bodies. With the concerted efforts of the two sides, it took only two years from driving the first pile to bringing the first homemade model Range Rover Evoque offline. This is unique in China’s auto industry.
At the ceremony, Yin Tongyue, chairman and president of Chery, said, “As the first Sino-British high-end joint-venture automotive manufacturer, the Changshu Plant of CJLR marks Chery’s milestone in joint venture projects and its historic step in implementation of the internationalization strategy. I believe CJLR will have broad prospect and create high-end automotive products beyond the expectation of every Chinese consumer.”
Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, said, “The inauguration of the world top manufacturing base is a significant milestone to Jaguar Land Rover. Since the release of Range Rover Evoque, one fifth of its global sales have been from China. Choosing the Changshu manufacturing base to manufacture the star model–Range Rover Evoque embodies that we are constantly honoring our commitments to Chinese consumers and bringing them more localized luxury vehicles.”
CJLR President Chris Bryant said, “CJLR of British origin delivers global first-rated quality, upholds the concept of value sharing, is committed to creating excellence and pioneers the development of the Chinese high-end auto market. The plant’s inauguration marks the end of the initial stage we are proud of, and we will be committed to becoming an outstanding pioneer of China’s high-end auto industry with same passion and pride.”
CJLR Executive Vice President Zhu Guohua said, “The plant’s inauguration is not only a significant milestone of the joint venture, but also represents a new chapter of China’s high-end auto manufacturing. With the strong support of the parent companies, the local government, suppliers, distributors and other business partners, we will provide the best products and services to Chinese consumers and be committed to creating desired high-end brand experience for them.
The cooperation between Chery and Jaguar Land Rover carries Chery’s important mission of internationalization strategy upgrading and implementation. As a historic step of in-depth development of Chery’s internationalization strategy, the plant’s inauguration will bring the strategy to an unprecedented level.
