Jaguar Land Rover have announced plans to invest £1.53 billion in the UK automotive sector, which will create 1,700 jobs and help to keep the British motor supply chain healthy.
This latest news comes as a result of the company experiencing huge demand for their vehicles and recording record profits. There is currently a 9 month waiting list for the new Range Rover Sport and a 6 month waiting list for the new Range Rover Vogue at Land Rover Guiseley. With new Range Rover Evoque’s also proving popular, the company’s manufacturing plant in Solihull is working 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Jaguar Land Rover chief executive Dr Ralf Speth, speaking at the Frankfurt Motor Show, said: “Today’s announcement signals Jaguar Land Rover’s ambitions to push the boundaries and redefine premium car ownership.
“At Jaguar Land Rover we place the customer at the heart of everything we do and the introduction of a world-class, all-new aluminium vehicle architecture means we will be more competitive, flexible and efficient delivering exciting new products for our customers around the world.
“Jaguar Land Rover is a business driven by design, technology and innovation and this investment and level of job creation is yet further evidence of our commitment to advancing the capability of the UK automotive sector and its supply chain.”
The 1,700 jobs created will be at the company’s Solihull plant, where the new Range Rover Sport and Vogue are made. These cars feature a unique aluminium suspension. The jobs created will also be to help with the production and manufacturing of Jaguar’s next generation mid-size saloon which will enter production in 2015.
Prime Minister David Cameron said, “The creation of 1,700 new jobs from this £1.5 billion investment by Jaguar Land Rover is fantastic news for Solihull and a huge vote of confidence in the UK. This investment will also deliver another 24,000 jobs in the supply chain – on top of the 1.3 million the private sector has already created since 2010.”
Jaguar Land Rover has recorded record growth over the past 5 years and has become the largest British 4-wheel drive car manufacturer. Their luxury vehicles are so popular that the company currently cannot keep up with demand. They are also looking in to electric vehicles, and at this year’s Geneva Motor Show they unveiled 6 all-electric Land Rover Defenders. There is also a multi-million pound investment project with 11 firms and universities to create three Range Rover Evoque prototypes; a hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric model.
Currently, Jaguar Land Rover have three main manufacturing plants across Britain in Solihull, Castle Bromwich and Halewood on Merseyside respectively. The company will continue to