Following the announcement of the new Range Rover Jaguar Land Rover has revealed that it spent £370 million to upgrade its UK manufacturing facilities. The investment will increase productivity and help secure jobs.
Part of the investment has gone on a new aluminium body shop for the Land Rover factory at Solihull. The plant has also received improved paint application technologies, trim assembly, warehousing and Jaguar Land Rover's first customer handover centre.
Sales of the fourth-generation Range Rover will begin this month with the model eventually being offered in 170 countries around the world. The first customers will receive their cars in 2013, 40 years after the first Range Rover was unveiled.
Speaking at a Range Rover launch event in Richmond Park, London, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive Officer Dr Ralf Speth said: "This outstanding new Range Rover symbolises our commitment to investing in Britain and exporting around the world, delivering class-leading performance, agility, quality and luxury in a model that enjoys iconic status in almost every market. As the UK's leading automotive investor in R&D we are proud of the work that has gone into developing the new technologies and innovations to make the new Range Rover possible. Through a £370m investment in our manufacturing facilities we have been able to build the world's first SUV with lightweight all-aluminium construction, a car that is 20% lighter, with fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions reduced by 22%."
In the 2011-12 financial year sales of all models grew by 20%. Pre-tax profits for the first quarter of this financial year lifted pre-tax profits by 32% to £333 million. Jaguar Land Rover estimates that the company supports 190,000 jobs in the UK supply chain.
John Lambert - 10 Sep 2012