'Voice of customers' fuels Jaguar Land Rover China

Jaguar Land Rover China made a donation to the reconstruction of a Hope School in Ya'an. [Photos provided to China Daily]

Nationwide network

Enhancing the dealership network is also a primary concern for the company - not just to ensure customer satisfaction but also to look after the profitability of dealers.

Grace believes that sustainable success is driven by mutual trust and local understanding. He values the opinions of customers, dealers, business partners and employees. This is why Grace is always in attendance at every new dealership opening.

"I can feel the very pulse of the dynamic Chinese auto market by being there at every dealer opening, talking with partners and customers," Grace emphasized on the importance of being on-the-ground and witnessing the business expansion with his own eyes.

Jaguar Land Rover China roars into 2014

JLR execs show Cameron the power of localization

The carmaker seeks to continually enhance the skills of its dealer staff through regular training and skill development initiatives, to ensure that customers have a consistently great experience buying and owning a Jaguar Land Rover vehicle. Its decentralized sales structure also facilitates quicker response to customer feedback.

Grace made sure that the company's network development has kept pace with its sales growth so customers get the best service possible.

"Franchising in the right tier cities is also the root to sustaining growth," said Grace. "By 2015, we should have 250 stores across the country that will give us adequate coverage across tier one, tier two and tier three cities, but will also give us access to tier four and tier five cities."

By the end of 2013, the company has appointed 242 authorized dealers across China, 136 of which were already in operation.

Closer to customers

Over the past three years, the company has been heavily investing in expanding its infrastructure, aiming to further improve service quality and customer experiences.

At present, Jaguar Land Rover China has three top-notch Land Rover experience centers and five parts distribution centers. Another Land Rover Experience Center is being built in Chengdu now, as part of a plan to establish a total of seven such centers in China.

A new training academy in Guangzhou has finished construction and will be opened this year. And a new office in Chengdu will be in operation in the near future.

"The aim is clear - reach out to local customers with the best experiences and facilities ever," Grace noted.