Jaguar Land Rover to build SUV model in China

Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover Plc, poses beside a Jaguar XE automobile at an auto expo.[Photo/Agencies]

British automaker Jaguar Land Rover has announced it will build its new E-PACE compact SUV in Austria and China.

The company said its plants in the United Kingdom are close to full capacity, and it expects there will be high demand for the five-seat E-PACE after the F-PACE performance SUV became the fastest-selling car in the company's history, with 80,000 sold so far this year.

JLR launched the E-PACE in London on Thursday, with a stunt driver making it into the Guinness Book of World Records after making a 15.3 meter jump and 270-degree barrel roll in the vehicle.

Chinese automaker Chery, JLR's joint-venture partner in China, will build the cars at its factory in Changshu, Jiangsu province. Vehicles produced there will be for Chinese customers. The car will go on sale in China in 2018.

Automaker Magna Steyr will build the E-PACE in Austria, starting late 2017, and also make the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE model from 2018.

Wolfgang Stadler, JLR's executive director of manufacturing, said:"The UK is the heart and soul of our manufacturing, design and engineering capabilities. However, with our UK facilities operating close to capacity, our contract manufacturing partnership with Magna Steyr and our joint venture in China provide additional volume, agility and flexibility to deliver the new Jaguar E-PACE, alongside our other exciting vehicle launches this year."

JLR signed a joint venture with Chery in 2012 and has made the Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover Discovery Sport, and Jaguar XFL in China.

China, where 120,000 JLR vehicles were sold in 2016, is the company's largest single-country market, generating one-fifth of global sales. Retail sales for June were up 65.3 percent year-on-year in China, with UK sales up 3.8 percent, Europe up 3.7 percent and North America up 3.2 percent.

Andy Goss, JLR sales operations director, said: "Jaguar Land Rover saw another positive performance in June, led by strong sales in China, both from imported vehicles and our Chinese joint venture."

JLR, which manufactures vehicles under the Jaguar, Land Rover, and Range Rover brands, said Jaguar sold 15,343 vehicles in June, up 16.4 percent from last June. The company said sales of the new Land Rover Discovery continue to grow, following its launch in North America and China.