In 2015, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) became the largest automotive manufacturer in the UK, while global sales were the best they’d ever been.
Sales between the two brands are up 21 percent year-on-year as well, with a JLR model sold every four minutes in the UK.
It’s safe to say JLR means business and with this comes confidence. To reflect the £4 billion investment in new models, JLR is working in collaboration with its retailer network to change the way buyers experience purchasing a Jaguar Land Rover product.
By the end of 2018, retailers will spend between £2 million and £15m each on revamping showrooms and workshops to represent the two brands more appropriately and deliver the kind of experience Jaguar Land Rover customers should expect.
What’s changing?
As part of the revamp, more than 200 JLR showrooms will adopt a new exterior look, with a consistent corporate identity across the dealerships – be it Jaguar, Land Rover or a growing number of joint dealers where both brands are sold under one roof.
The interiors will be suitably upmarket, the company claims, in a bid to make the showrooms welcoming, clean, fresh and interactive – with plenty of space for people to experience the cars. There are already a handful of these refreshed showrooms dotted around the UK, with the rest to follow over the next few years.
A big change will be a drive-in service reception, where customers can drive their car into a designated service drop-off area under cover, hand their car over and drive a waiting courtesy car straight out – in theory JLR claims this kind of service and a more premium feel inside its showrooms will help build relationships with customers and provide an all-round upmarket experience befitting of the cars themselves.
Technology
There’s a strong focus on technology, with things like virtual reality enabling potential buyers to configure a car to their desired spec, while CitNow videos – a system used by retailers to send customers and owners videos – will be utilised by sales executives to show prospective buyers particular aspects of a car they might be interested in.
This system will also be used by the service department to update owners on any work that’s being done on their car.
It appears, then, that Jaguar Land Rover is the latest company to adopt the view that buying a car should be on the customer’s terms, not the dealer’s, and it looks set to make the buying process a lot less stressful and a lot more enjoyable.
If you’re buying a car, take a look at these:
5 things to know before entering a dealership
