China's quality watchdog asks JLR to recall Evoque SUVs

China's quality watchdog has asked Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) to recall Range Rover Evoque SUVs, following a media report that said the vehicles used faulty gearboxes.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) wants the Tata Motor-owned luxury carmaker to take immediate steps to recall and repair faulty vehicles and extend their warranty period.

The AQSIQ said it had also asked the British firm and its dealers to contact customers to organise after-sales services, and had advised customs authorities to monitor imports of the Evoque SUVs.

China is JLR's biggest and fastest-growing market. Land Rover has apologised to its customers on its microblog.

Earlier this week, Chinese state television criticised Land Rover for gearbox problems in some of its vehicles in a consumer show that also targeted other carmakers such as Germany's Volkswagen and Japan's Nissan Motor, Reuters reported.

Land Rover is among carmakers being investigated in China for alleged anti-competitive behaviour.

JLR has forecast sales growth in China to roughly halve this year given the slower expansion of the world's largest auto market.

Last year, JLR inaugurated its first overseas factory, in Changshu, near Shanghai. The factory is equally owned by China's Chery Automobile and is scheduled to go into full production in 2016.