On the way to becoming a global player, Jaguar launches the first vehicle assembly in China.
Since the acquisition by the Indian Tata group, the British brands Jaguar and Land Rover thrive. While the off-road brand has always been a benchmark in its segment, Jaguar has been able to shed the restrictive aristocratic costume and is entering "Smart Casual" against the German premium brands in particular. To play along with the big ones, for example, they launched a smaller model, the XE, which is currently the first Jaguar SUV named F-Pace launched in the market.
And because the declared BMW, Mercedes and Audi competitors in China are driving very successful strategies with models adapted to local needs, there will soon be the first Jaguar from a Chinese factory.
Jaguar has strapped the XF to the rack to meet the needs of Chinese business people and their preference for risk. Together with the Chinese joint venture partner Chery, the British operate a factory in Changshu. 4.500 people are already on wages there, as they have been assembling the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport models since 2014. The extended Jaguar XF will be added in the second half of 2016, and it will premiere at the Beijing auto show at the end of April.
So the Chinese get "their" XF. Of course we know that the German market is only a fraction of the size of the Middle Kingdom, but we still wish - F-Pace or not - to continue with an XF station wagon.
