Land Rover offers unexplored driving experiences

Bob Grace (fourth from left), regional president of Jaguar Land Rover Greater China, Anthea Wang (fourth from right), executive vice-president of Land Rover China, and Lily Song (second from left), vice-president for Land Rover marketing in China, handed over fleet flags to media representatives at the campaign's kick-off ceremony. Photos provided to China Daily

British brand's SUVs tackle 70-day China discovery tour

In the spirit of Ben Saunders, pioneering British polar explorer and also Land Rover's global brand ambassador, Bob Grace, regional president of Jaguar Land Rover Greater China, encourages people to experience something different from concrete jungles "where we live in seven days a week".

Grace initiated the Never Stop Discovering campaign in China two years ago to give customers and the media the chance to experience the capabilities of Land Rover vehicles.

"We call it a chance to drive in urban environments, but also a chance to escape from urban environments and go and see some fantastic scenery, to go and experience some of the fantastic culture, across this great country of China," said Grace.

"It's out there, sharing the spirit with other customers, with other media and getting the passion to go above and beyond, really understanding the full breadth and capability of these fantastic Land Rover vehicles," he said.

The campaign titled Never Stop Discovering, Unexplored Experiences, which is in its third year, kicked off in Shanghai on May 12.

The discovery tour will showcase the brand's products and all-terrain capabilities through both on-road and off-road drives.

The campaign aims to enhance the image of Land Rover SUVs and strengthen the brand's position.

"Since 1948 we have been the only brand in the world to only produce SUVs, which Chinese consumers are really falling in love with," said Grace.

This year's campaign is also part of Jaguar Land Rover China's celebrations for the 25th anniversary of Discovery model line, which was created for exploration and adventure.

For the third year running, the discovery tour will feature the full range of Land Rover nameplates with a focus on the fourth generation Discovery, bringing the British brand's SUV family closer to Chinese customers.

According to Grace, this year's campaign will cover one national route Unexplored Experiences and four regional routes in the southwest, east, northeast, and northwest of China, titled Unexplored Rain-forest, Unexplored Water, Unexplored Mountains, and Unexplored Desert, respectively.

The first national route fleet will set off on May 22 from Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and will pass through Leye, Guangnan, Bamei, Mengzi, Yuanyang and Pu'er before arriving in Jinghong, Yunnan province.

The whole journey will last more than 70 days, bringing the experiences to more than 20 Chinese cities and towns.

"Land Rover has an in-depth understanding of Chinese SUV consumers. They are adventure seekers, with passion and desire to go Above and Beyond," said Grace.

"We will invite as many Land Rover owners as possible to drive their own vehicles to the campaign jamboree to celebrate together and to make the memorable adventure history."

Grace said he would also join the fleet at the jamboree.

"It's not a task. I've been lucky enough during the past 30 years to do programs of this type in many locations across the world.

"So getting out there, fully understanding, and really living the breadth of capabilities of our vehicles is a great part of my job. So I'm very pleased to be going to Inner Mongolia for the jamboree and maybe I'll make an appearance somewhere else during the journey as well," he said.

Jaguar Land Rover China will also send award-winning customers on an overseas expedition.

"Land Rover strives to meet the needs of our valued customers and to provide them with a rich brand experience that only Land Rover can bring," said Grace.

2014 is set to be an exciting year for Jaguar Land Rover.

Adhering to its "customer first" philosophy, the iconic brands are focused on providing Chinese customers with what they want. The British SUV provider has three Land Rover experience centers in Beijing, Guangzhou and Huzhou, Zhejiang province. It plans to open the fourth in Chengdu before the end of the year.

Land Rover recently held the nationwide Evoque Urban Adventure Tour, in which more than 5,000 customers got first-hand experience of the model's capabilities.

This year, Jaguar Land Rover China plans to further expand the distribution network to more than 200 from the current 150, by going into more third- or fourth-tier cities.

Grace has been to 70 to 80 Chinese cities to participate in new store openings across the country.

"For me, it's very important to go and experience the local environment, to understand the local culture, and to be with the local Jaguar Land Rover team, which is part of the growing Jaguar Land Rover family here in China," he said. In the first four months, Jaguar Land Rover China's sales surged 44 percent on an annual basis, maintaining the strong momentum in its largest country market.

lifangfang@chinadaily.com.cn