Jaguar Land Rover now supports more jobs than the entire population of Derby after massive growth – as the company plans huge investment in the West Midlands.
New data seen by the Post shows Jaguar Land Rover now employs 34,000 people in the 海角视频 – up by 18,000 in the past four years. But the manufacturing giant also supports more than 220,000 other jobs in the supply chain, meaning a total of 254,000.
That adds up to more than the 248,700-strong population of Derby – or, indeed, Cambridge, Bath and Lichfield combined.
The startling data comes after details of the firm’s latest mammoth investment – £850 million in improvements at Castle Bromwich and a new Jaguar development centre in Coventry.
Reports in our sister newspaper the Coventry Telegraph also claimed there were plans for a new plant in the city to build the next generation .
JLR is to spend £450 million to turn Castle Bromwich into a world-class hub for aluminium cars, .
At the heart of the investment will be a £320 million aluminium body shop which completes its transformation into a global centre of excellence for lightweight vehicle manufacturing.
adviser Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya said the investment – the largest the plant has ever seen – showed the depth of commitment the manufacturer had to the region.
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Post columnist Lord Bhattacharyya said: “This shows Jaguar Land Rover’s faith in the West Midlands. What better way to demonstrate it than this?”
He added: “They are spending £450 million at Castle Bromwich to produce the next generation Jaguar XF aluminium car.
“It is massive investment – new equipment, new technology, everything. The XF is a small, aluminium car, so it needs all new technology.”
Today, sales of Jaguars built at the Castle Bromwich plant are almost double that of five years ago on the back of international demand for the XJ and F-Type.
As part of the spending spree, £16 million has gone on a new blanker line which will allow the plant to turn coils of aluminium into ‘blank sheets’ that are pressed into body panels and parts on a new Aida £50 million press line.
A further £30 million has been invested in significantly upgrade the trim and final assembly hall.
The investment in Castle Bromwich is part of a major push on the Big Cat marque with JLR also putting £400 million into a research and development centre in Coventry.
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It is understood the firm has completed an estimated £20 million deal for 62 acres of land at Whitley – more than doubling the company’s current 55-acre footprint at the location.
It is thought that will create up to 4,000 direct jobs with another 7,000 to 11,000 through the supply chain.
The new Coventry plant, which is yet to be confirmed by JLR, would mean thousands more jobs.
The massive spending push comes after a period of unrest between JLR and unions following a fallout over a pay claim which was recently agreed.
It also comes against the backdrop of JLR plans to build a new plant, with the Post previously stating that Austria and Turkey were being considered, along with the US.
A senior JLR source told the Post the latest investment showed the company had moved on.
He said: “After all the problems there have been in England, they have still decided to invest in Castle Bromwich.
“They have decided to get on with it and invest hundreds of millions of pounds.”
The new version of the Birmingham-made XF executive saloon will go on sale in autumn this year, and is due to be unveiled at the New York Auto Show on April 1.
The car uses Jaguar’s advanced aluminium-intensive architecture to deliver a vehicle that will be up to 190kg lighter than the existing model.
The XF will also feature Jaguar Land Rover’s two-litre Ingenium diesel engine, which is being built at its new engine factory near Wolverhampton following another major JLR investment.
Michael Collins, a director at JLR supplier Penso Group, said: “This is a clear indication that the car maker views the region as the brains of its company, with all future prototype vehicles set to be built here.”