JLR to set up sales firm in China

Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will set up a national sales company in China to accelerate its expansion in the world’s fastest-growing car market.

“Clearly, China is a very important and growing market for Jaguar Land Rover. It is currently the third-biggest individual market in terms of volume for Land Rover and the fourth-biggest for Jaguar,” a Jaguar Land Rover spokesperson said.

JLR has already sold 10,350 units in China in the first five months of this year, compared to 12,630 units sold in entire 2009.

Last year, China was the fastest-growing car market in the world, with 42 per cent sales growth. In 2009, it reportedly saw total sales of cars, trucks and other vehicles surge 46 per cent over last year to 13.6 million units — much higher than the 10.4 million equivalent vehicles sold in the US, thus becoming the biggest automobile market of the world.

Reflecting the growing importance of the Chinese market, JLR “will establish a national sales company in China during 2010,” the spokesperson said.

He, however, declined to share the details: “Details will be announced at the appropriate time.” In January-March quarter this year, sales of JLR in China zoomed nearly three-fold to 5,786 units, as against 2,132 units in the corresponding period a year-ago.

Earlier, Land Rover had announced it would add 275 jobs at its production facility at Solihull in West Midlands to meet rising demand, after sales improved for several consecutive months.