Jaguar Land Rover to Establish Chinese JV

Last year, China became the world’s largest automotive market, surpassing the U.S. This has led to an important focus shift in the automotive world, with carmakers pushing the country to the top of their priorities lists.

The latest automotive producer to follow this trend is Jaguar Land Rover. The company, which is owned by Tata Motors, is currently negotiating with a Chinese automaker to establish a joint venture that would handle production and sales in the country, as the Wall Street Journal reports.

Tata Motor’s Chief Executive Officer, Carl-Peter Forster, recently said that Jaguar Land Rover is planning to create a Chinese partnership “as soon as possible”.

Tata is planning to make the most out of the Jaguar Land Rover’s potential, considering that it needs to establish a complex management plan that will allow it to use the two brand’s assets.

“We're not as strong as we should be, most notably in China," the executive was quoted as saying by the aforementioned source.

Jaguar Land Rover is also working to create hybrid powerplants for its future models. Earlier this year, the company established a team of engineers with experience in fields such as hybrid engine technology, software and electrical infotainment.

Jaguar’s latest development, the C-X75 Concept, which was introduced at the Paris Auto Show demonstrated that the company is experimenting new propulsion systems. The vehicle uses four wheel-mounted electric motors, as well as two micro gas turbine engines that run on LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas).