Jaguar Land Rover to feature XF series, F-TYPE models

Jaguar XF series Photo: Courtesy of JLR

British premium carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which is set to roll out first batch of locally produced cars in the fourth quarter, is also showcasing its featured models at the Chengdu auto show this year.

The Jaguar XF series, which includes the 2015 XF sedan, XF R-Sport and XF Sportbrake, is scheduled to make its group debut at the show. Jaguar will also be displaying its F-TYPE Coupe and F-TYPE Convertible models at the show.

The year 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of the Land Rover Discovery SUV so JLR is set to launch a Discovery XXV25 limited edition model at the auto show. In addition, two Land Rover Evoque limited edition models have landed on the Chinese market for the first time.

JLR's premium sedan and SUV offerings have become a significant force in China's premium car market. In the first seven months of this year, JLR sold 71,031 units of cars in China, up 43.6 percent year-on-year, partly attributed to the country's booming SUV market, which has grown over 30 percent during the period.

The company's joint venture with domestic carmaker Chery in Changshu, East China's Jiangsu Province, is set to start production in the fourth quarter of this year, which is expected to further expand its sales in China.

"Local production of more premium brands such as JLR, Volvo and Cadillac is expected to eat into the market share of the three leading German brands [Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz]," Zeng Zhiling, a senior analyst at consultancy LMC Automotive, told the Global Times, adding that more players in the premium sector will help to improve the overall services in the sector.

JLR announced on July 25 it would lower the prices of three of its models by an average of 200,000 yuan ($32,556), in response to the government's current antitrust investigation.

Zeng noted that as premium brands further cut prices of whole cars and maintenance services, an increasing number of consumers will choose to buy premium cars.