Worldwide demand for their product, already buoyant following the launch of the Evoque, has again grown following the launch of the latest model Range Rover. The new jobs will nearly all be created at the manufacturing base at Solihull.
The plant is the production base for the Discovery and Defender models and Indian and Chinese demand has again shown year on year growth for both, as a group sales are up. In fact China is now a bigger market for Land Rover than the UK.
Land Rover is owned by Tata, an Indian based company that have worked world wide for decades and have made best use of this experience since buying Land Rover to take the product to new markets. Land Rover actually exports to 177 countries, with Jaguar not far behind at 176. A recent report by the BBC, has highlighted the fantastic export success of Jaguar and Land Rover.
The largest growth, unsurprisingly, occurred in China. Last year, sales of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles rose by 80%, on the back of year on year growth. It is intended to increase the number of dealerships in China by as much as 30% in the coming year. Its not easy though. The largest German manufacturers were first into China and Mercedes, BMW & Audi still account for the bulk of luxury cars. As much as this market is growing, it is still incredibly competitive.
In November, Jaguar Land Rover agreed a deal with a Chinese company called Chery, this will enable the manufacture of JLR product in China and will overcome importing restrictions. A second plant in Saudi Arabia is also under consideration.
It is intended to produce cars bespoke for the Chinese market at the Chinese factory, an unusual step for a European manufacturer.
Additional fuelling of growth has come from the Russian, US and far east markets. Production for these markets with be catered for in the UK.
