For Jaguar brand, the American market was still larger than China. But he fully believed that it will change in the future, " as we are introducing new engines there."
Last November, Jaguar Land Rover and China's Chery Automobile signed a joint venture of 10.9 billion RMB (about 1.73 billion U.S. dollars), covering entire vehicle production, R&D center, engine production, as well as sales of Jaguar and Land Rover. The project was estimated to be completed and put into operation in 2014.
As the NO.1 market, China was very important for the company and there was a lot of potential for growth, Popham added. By last December, the number of Jaguar Land Rover dealers had surpassed 100, and the company would continue to expand there this year.
With respect to the whole Chinese auto sector, he said it was still a relatively young industry although obviously it has a huge domestic market and an opportunity to learn from the experiences of others.
Popham believed that Chinese automakers should learn more from their counterparts in developed countries in terms of better understanding manufacturing technologies, quality technologies and legislation pertaining to safety and efficiency. "But I do think that Chinese auto manufacturing industry has a pretty good chance to lead in some new technology."
The 2013 North American International Auto Show opened on Monday morning in Detroit and would last till January 27. At this top level auto show, More than 500 cars including over 50 new ones are put on show during this top level auto show.
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