JAGUAR Land Rover is set to announce a major jobs and investment boom at its Halewood factory on Merseyside in the UK, and is to confirm plans to build vehicles in China.
It is understood the luxury car firm is to announce a third shift at Halewood – creating about 1000 jobs and backed with a £100m investment (R1.19-billion) – thanks to the success of the new Evoque ‘baby’ off-roader.
JLR is also expected to confirm a deal with Chinese car-maker Chery, after Land Rover’s China sales soared 63 percent and Jaguar sales by 92 percent in the first half of 2011-12.
The announcements are set to be made at this week’s Geneva Motor Show.
JLR, which employs around 21 000 in the Midlands and Merseyside, also plans to increase production in India.
But the good news is tempered by fears over the future of Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire.
Business Secretary Vince Cable is to fly to Geneva to put the case to bosses of Vauxhall’s loss-making US parent company, General Motors, for keeping the factory open. -Daily Mail