Both divisions of Jaguar Land Rover are making news this week, with the company featuring prominently at this year's Salon Privé Concours d'Elegance and Supercar Show; and beginning 24-hour production for the first time at the plant in Halewood.
The decision to start 24-hour production at Halewood is mostly down to the popularity of the Range Rover Evoque; a model that has sold almost 88,000 units around the world and won various awards since its introduction last July. Production patterns have changed from two shifts to three; and the company has recruited an extra 1,000 staff to manufacture both the Evoque and Freelander 2 models around the clock.
Des Thurlby, HR Director at JLR said, "JLR Halewood has trebled its workforce in the last three years, and is now at its highest level in 20 years with 4,500 employees. More than 30,000 people applied for the 1,000 jobs we made available, and we were fortunate to hire the highest calibre people for the roles."
As well as producing more Land Rovers for its customers, JLR is also providing four new Jaguar models for this year's Salon Privé Show. The final line-up has been confirmed as the XKR-S, XK Special Edition, XJ Ultimate and XF Sportbrake.
The XKR-S Convertible will lead the brand, with a top speed of 186mph and hitting 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds. The XK Special Edition features a newly designed interior plus subtle exterior and alloy wheel differences over the standard model. Jaguar's XF Sportbrake will also feature as the company's new premium estate model.
The XJ Ultimate was recently unveiled in Beijing and offers many luxurious features for rear passengers; including electrically operated, individually tailored seats with massage function, a piano-black business table, LED lighting, iPads and a 15-channel 20-speaker Meridian sound system.
Along with new models, various vintage and classic Jaguars will also make an appearance at the show's Tour d'Elegance - a 21-mile tour of London from Woodcote Park in Epsom to Syon House in West London - to mark the start of Salon Privé on Wednesday 5th September.
James Giddings - 15 Aug 2012