India owned Jaguar Land Rover has responded to criticism in China over the alleged faulty gearboxes in its Evoque sport-utility vehicles and recalled over 36,000 cars.
“We will carry out a recall initiative and give consumers a deep apology,” the company said on its verified account on Sina Weibo. The company said that the recall applies to a total of 36,451 vehicles.
The company apologised to its Chinese consumers in an online statement soon after it was targeted in a programme aired by China Central Television (CCTV). The programme alleged owners of the Range Rover Evoque sport-utility vehicles had experienced problems with gearboxes.
On top of the apology and recall, Jaguar Land Rover has also extended the warranty period for the gearboxes to seven years or 240,000 kilometres.
State owned broadcaster CCTV is known to take aim at foreign companies on World Consumer Rights Day on March 15 – the latest being Jaguar Land Rover joining the ranks of Apple and McDonald’s. Mostly known to target foreign companies, such programmes have also seen the broadcaster take a dig at some domestic companies, including telecommunications service providers, for failing to prevent calls that could result in fraud.
Auto manufacturers are reeling under pressure from the state following a sweeping investigation into alleged monopoly pricing for parts and complete vehicles. The government has already fined 10 Japanese auto parts firms more than USD 200 million in total for price-fixing so far.
