Jaguar Land Rover.

[nick mercedes]

No. MB has a broad spectrum of products, some of which are very fuel efficient and low pollution, thus sell well.
As a result MB aren't looking for Government subsidies.

I dunno, MB decided to target the American market in a big way, GLs R-Classes MLs etc.

Other than Smart, not much is selling...

 

[Dieselman]

Tata arent the company in question though are they?

As they own JLR, surely they are.?

As previously mentioned JLR have 15,000 staff. I don't want to see JLR close and any redundant workers but why should they enjoy priviliges the other 147,000 workers made redundant in the 3 months to August '08 don't have.

I doubt would we be having this discussion if it was say Hoover electonics closing down with a similar head count.?

I suspect that if the Government doesn't provide a bail out then Tata will find the money from somewhere, or will alter working practices and products to be more profitable.

Even if JLR was to close it won't affect the rest of the industry as people will buy a different product.

Before we paint a gloomy picture for the motor industry in West Mids it's worth remembering that Longbridge will be reopening production soon.

 

[nick mercedes]

I suspect that if the Government doesn't provide a bail out then Tata will find the money from somewhere, or will alter working practices and products to be more profitable.

Shift production to India sooner rather than later?

Before we paint a gloomy picture for the motor industry in West Mids it's worth remembering that Longbridge will be reopening production soon.

"The plant is currently employing 180 workers who will produce 500 initial high-spec TF LE500s from kits imported from China"

CKD kits from China?

A gloomy picture indeed.

 

[Dieselman]

Shift production to India sooner rather than later?

If it's going to happen anyway then there seems little point with the bail out.

I don't recall HMG offering bail outs for Corus steel whan Tata took over. That is a more worthwhile product than out of date cars nobody wants to buy.

"The plant is currently employing 180 workers who will produce 500 initial high-spec TF LE500s from kits imported from China"

CKD kits from China?

Full production of the Rowe 45 and 75 is going to start up soon.

 

[grober]

Shift production to India sooner rather than later?

That certainly is a possibility but surely that would be suicidal from a business point of view for TATA. Jaguar sell in the US on their British sports car heritage and you would remove the JLR manufacturing base/market access in the EEC. In this game of motor manufacturing poker the UK maybe still holds a few cards.

 

[nick mercedes]

If it's going to happen anyway then there seems little point with the bail out.

I don't recall HMG offering bail outs for Corus steel whan Tata took over. That is a more worthwhile product than out of date cars nobody wants to buy.


Full production of the Rowe 45 and 75 is going to start up soon.

Jaguar out of date?

Have they not just launched a new one?

Are the Chinese actually going to use longbridge?

 

[Stratman]

Can't our government just recycle all the extra 4x4 and gas-guzzler taxes it imposes back to JLR in a never-ending loop?

 

[nick mercedes]

That certainly is a possibility but surely that would be suicidal from a business point of view for TATA. Jaguar sell in the US on their British sports car heritage and you would remove the JLR manufacturing base/market access in the EEC. In this game of motor manufacturing poker the UK maybe still holds a few cards.

I would think that plans are already in place to move production to India, I doubt people care much where things are made.

After all Bentley and Rolls Royce are now German brands and manufactured in Germany, so why not make Jags in India?

 

[nick mercedes]

That certainly is a possibility but surely that would be suicidal from a business point of view for TATA. Jaguar sell in the US on their British sports car heritage and you would remove the JLR manufacturing base/market access in the EEC. In this game of motor manufacturing poker the UK maybe still holds a few cards.

"According to sources speaking with InsideLine, Tata purchased a 450-acre swath of land in Gurgaon, outside of New Delhi, for the explicit purpose of building Land Rovers. That's going to be a tough pill to swallow for LR's labor unions, which supported the sale of the both companies last year after Tata became the top bidder."

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/19/tata-hearts-land-rover-jag-not-so-much/

 

[timskemp]

Shift production to India sooner rather than later?



"The plant is currently employing 180 workers who will produce 500 initial high-spec TF LE500s from kits imported from China"

CKD kits from China?

A gloomy picture indeed.

Nothing unusual about that. ISTR some MBs that were "made in Germany" were SKD from South Africa.

 

[gIzzE]

I think Brown has already said they are not going to help.

I can see the same people who have been moaning that we were going to bail JLR out will now be moaning that we should have done more to save the company when it disapears!

 

[grober]

I can see a future for some LAND ROVER products built in India for the Middle and Far East Markets where fuel remains relatively cheap but I'm not so sure about JAGUAR? It would effectively finish them off in the European and North American Markets at least in the short term if they moved production from Britain I fear. It gives me no pleasure to say it but the future of the company in Europe is now too much of a gamble for UK tax payers IMHO so unless TATA are prepared to step up to the plate, put their hands in their own pockets and invest in a continuing presence in the UK????????

 

[hawk20]

Is Tata worldwide losing money? No. So it can perfectly well fund short-term losses at its shiny new subsidiary.

If the Peugeot factory in UK started losing money, would Peugeot expect to run to British taxpayers for a bailout. No: first call would be to their parent company in France. After that perhaps the French Govt. But surely none of us would expect them to come to the UK govt?

And why should we expect civil servants and MPs with little if any business experience to be good at choosing who to bail out and who to let go to the wall. Remember billions on Leyland.

 

[Dieselman]

Jaguar out of date?

Land Rover products.

Are the Chinese actually going to use longbridge?

Yes.
Full production of the TF is going there in the New Year as the sales of the Ltd edition 500 thing have been good and the Rowe 550 is going to be from there.

Longbridge is going to be their Europe and International HQ.
There are currently 250 designers and staff transferring there from a base in Warwickshire.

 

[wemorgan]

The move is some welcome news to the automotive industry, showing signs of genuine investment in the UK. It'll be interesting to see what new platforms SAIC ask the engineers to develop over the next few years.

If the Peugeot factory in UK started losing money, would Peugeot expect to run to British taxpayers for a bailout. No: first call would be to their parent company in France. After that perhaps the French Govt. But surely none of us would expect them to come to the UK govt?

It is my understanding that when Peugeot had the Ryton factory, that the UK government offered grants to Peaugeot to continue investment.

 

[nick mercedes]

If the Peugeot factory in UK started losing money, would Peugeot expect to run to British taxpayers for a bailout. No: first call would be to their parent company in France. After that perhaps the French Govt. But surely none of us would expect them to come to the UK govt?

Peugout factory in the UK is now a heap of rubble, as is the Jaguar factory down the A45 a bit.

 

[nick mercedes]

Land Rover products.

Disco is fairy recent 2006?

RR is 2003 and RR sport 2006?

Freelander is newish is it not?

Meanwhile the Rowe 550 is a reskinned Rover 75?

 

[Dieselman]

Disco is fairy recent 2006?

RR is 2003 and RR sport 2006?

Freelander is newish is it not?

Meanwhile the Rowe 550 is a reskinned Rover 75?

LR products may be recent releases but they are not wanted due to being dinosaurs. If that wasn't the case LR wouldn't be in trouble.

The Rowe 550 is a shortened 75 platform with a new body, mechanicals and design. By all accounts it's a good car which should sell.

 

[Stratman]

Let me see if I've got this right.

Tata want the British government to guarantee loans so they can continue to make big gas guzzlers and off roaders for us to buy. The same government that is trying to tax big gas guzzlers and off roaders out of existance. Do they want us to buy them or not?

 

[nick mercedes]

LR products may be recent releases but they are not wanted due to being dinosaurs. If that wasn't the case LR wouldn't be in trouble.

The Rowe 550 is a shortened 75 platform with a new body, mechanicals and design. By all accounts it's a good car which should sell.

To be fair to LR all manufacturers are in the brown stuff, even Honda has had to bin its F1 team and close Swindon for 8 weeks in the new year.

Good luck to Longbridge, but I can't see any future for them to be honest.

LR Solihull might be the next big factory to bite the dust, as it's a prime residential site...

And to think once the UK made stuff for the world....