Jaguar Land Rover bolsters service networks

Jaguar Land Rover, one of the fastest-growing foreign carmakers in Korea, is ramping up efforts to expand its service networks and investments in the market to win the hearts of luxury drivers in South Korea.

In the first half of this year, the British premium brand posted a staggering 32 percent growth in Korean sales from a year ago. Its two brands ― Jaguar and Land Rover ― sold 1,045 and 1,904 vehicles, respectively, during the same period.

Buoyed by strong growth in recent years, the Korean unit is pouring in considerable resources for better customer satisfaction, especially into after-sales services. 

The latest service center, which opened in June in Seongsan-dong, western Seoul, boasts the largest size among the 15 Jaguar Land Rover repair and A/S facilities across the nation.

Located on a 3,379 square-meter site, the three-story building is equipped with 22 workshops that can handle up to 1,500 vehicles per month, along with diverse facilities, including a waiting room for women.

Another new center with 11 workshops opened in April in Daegu, some 300 kilometers from Seoul, to better serve the growing customer demands in the metropolitan city and its surrounding areas.

The carmaker also pledges to cut parts prices and other repair costs for Korean car owners, with the planned completion of a new parts distribution center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, by the end of this month.

The center, located on a 6,000-square-meter site, will be capable of storing some 32,000 parts, making delivery of supplies to customers three-times faster. The overall cost is also expected to be reduced in phases, the company said.

In the meantime, the Korean unit plans to extend its partnerships with universities aimed at nurturing automotive engineers.

Currently, two schools ― Doowon Technical University College and Korea Polytechnics ― have joined its program in which selected students receive professional training, including on-site practice.

Following its first program that kicked off in 2012, 49 students out of the total 62 participants are now working at the carmaker’s certified service centers in Korea.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)