BEIJING - After registering several years of robust growth in China, premium carmaker Jaguar now views the market as a long-term opportunity as the overall luxury segment continues its surge over the next decade.

Jaguar's first quarter sales in China jumped 70 percent to 600 cars, almost one-third of its full-year 2009 sales of 1,800 vehicles in the nation.

The strong growth can be credited to both the general growth in the segment as well as the increasing market share of the brand itself, said Christopher Brown, executive director of Jaguar China.