Jaguar Land Rover leaps into prime position

May Che (left), executive vice president of Jaguar China, Bob Grace (middle), regional president of Jaguar Land Rover Greater China, and Lily Song, vice president of Land Rover China Marketing. Photos Provided to China Daily

Quintessential British premium automaker displays its stunning fleet as Chengdu Motor Show opens, Li Fangfang reports

Bob Grace, regional president of Jaguar Land Rover Greater China, recorded several firsts for himself and the British marque during his tightly scheduled trip to the Chengdu Motor Show 2014 that began on August 29.

The quintessential British premium automaker brought a stunning fleet from the dual brand to the biggest auto exhibition in western China, stealing limelight with the first showcase of the full Jaguar XF family and debuts of several Land Rover special or limited editions.

Discovering unexplored China with Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover: Five debuts in Beijing

Before the exhibition, the Briton steering the company also taught English lessons and shared his growing pains and gains with students at the Jaguar Land Rover Hope School in Ya'an to stoke their passion for pursuing their dreams.

"Here in western China, we bring our latest, most advanced products, we bring our sincerest hearts to the youth, we bring our best industry practices with the apprentice training program, and we seek a quicker response to customers with the brand-new west regional office in Chengdu," said Grace.

"All of these demonstrate our long-term commitment to the rapidly developing western China, the new growth engine of the industry."

Jaguar Land Rover, already highly recognized in western China, continues to make headway in the region.

In the first seven months of the year, its sales in western China grew nearly 60 percent than a year ago as the company's nationwide sales climbed 43.8 percent to more than 71,000 units.

Western China, which long trailed in the nation's economic development, has begun to flourish since the central government launched its Go-West campaign, triggering higher demand for big-ticket durables like cars.

The Chengdu Motor Show, encapsulating the whole auto industry's westward movement, is for sure a stage the British automaker wouldn't miss to showcase its expertise.

With a showroom covering 1,560 square meters in the Century City New International Convention and Exhibition Center in Chengdu, Jaguar Land Rover put together one of the biggest and most eye-catching exhibitions at this year's show with 13 display models for the two brands.

"We want the show to be a funfest for all true blue Jaguar Land Rover fans," said Grace. "We want those who are smitten with the dual-brand to enjoy it to the full - that's why we bring our best products here."

When the curtain for its show was raised, Grace did get the "wow" he expected. Reflecting market recognition, Jaguar Land Rover won five awards from three media outlets at the Chengdu Motor Show.