Chery and Jaguar Landrover held a ground breaking ceremony earlier today in the city of Changshu, some 100km West of Shanghai. The new factory comes as part of the two companies 50:50 joint venture and will see JLR and Chery create an R&D center together with production starting in 2014.

Total investment will reach 10.9 billion RMB which will include the creation of a new production center, R&D center and an engine production center. The benefits of the joint venture to China include investment, job creation, advanced technology and low carbon solutions. The joint venture will blend together the heritage and experience of luxury premium vehicle manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover with the intricate knowledge and understanding of Chinese customers evident at Chery.

The name of the new joint venture company was also confirmed today by Dr. Ralf Speth and Mr Yin Tongyao. The equal partnership will be called – Chery Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Company Ltd.

Production is expected to be limited to the highly popular Range Rover Evoque and also the Land Rover Freelander models, although both are expected to be highly modified for the local Chinese market with both companies highly commited to product innovation and the creation of advanced technologies.