| It's bad enough that a once mighty car-making | | | | that will surely displace thousands of their members |
| country lost most of its pedigreed marques in the | | | | and have shunned any discussion on the earlier |
| freeway. Rolls and Bentley have gone to the | | | | closure plans. |
| Germans, MG to the Chinese, Jaguar and the Rover | | | | The JLR source has also disclosed that upcoming |
| to the Indians. It gets worst when the few | | | | 2010 vehicle models for Jaguar and Land Rover could |
| remaining production facilities left in the wholesale just | | | | guarantee the futures of both Solihull and Castle |
| might close down. That would completely erase car | | | | Bromwich factories. "That is now a very real |
| making out of the country's GNP. | | | | possibility." |
| There have been plans to close down the Land | | | | The review at JLR follows the installation of a new |
| Rover production plant at its historic Lode Lane, | | | | Tata Motors Group CEO, Carl-Peter Forster formerly |
| Solihull site as well as the Jaguar factory at Castle | | | | based in Mumbai and the new Jaguar Land Rover |
| Bromwich. Thousands of automotive professionals | | | | CEO Ralf Speth based in Gaydon. The earlier closure |
| at both factories in the West Midlands were stunned | | | | threat was announced under the old regime of David |
| when the Tata Motors Group announced last | | | | Smith at JLR who was replaced in a management |
| September that either Castle Bromwich or Solihull | | | | shuffle last January. |
| would close down its operations in the summer of | | | | Sales revenues at the Jaguar Land Rover have |
| 2010. | | | | enjoyed a 60% increase in February amidst a |
| But if fate could be kinder to a country that just lost | | | | worldwide recession which most pundits see lifting |
| its entire automobile industry, the big bosses at Tata | | | | anytime soon. The Tata Motors Group also |
| Motors just might have a change of heart. The new | | | | announced some £38.7 million in after-tax profits |
| regime head at Jaguar Land Rover Ralf Speth as well | | | | just for the last 2009 fiscal quarter alone after |
| as the Tata Motors head Carl-Peter Forster have | | | | previous quarters mired in the red. |
| reviewed their initial strategic plans with an eye to | | | | A JLR spokesman said: "We said back in September |
| keeping both sites alive. | | | | we would go through a process and make a decision |
| A source quite close to JLR senior management | | | | in the middle of the year. As you would expect our |
| intimated that "One of the options now is not to | | | | new CEOs are studying our business and looking at |
| close either of them. There is a new strategy now | | | | our plans closely." |
| being developed – it is a completely new ball | | | | He further added that the September Business Plan |
| game. It has now gone back from ‘there will be | | | | remains in force though given a review by the new |
| a plant closure.' They are looking at it again." | | | | regime. Workers at both West Midlands plants are |
| That should calm the nerves of unions in both plants | | | | crossing their fingers a new business plan out soon |
| as they've opposed any effort to seal the plants | | | | will be kinder to them. |