Land Rover takes Defender out of production
01.07.2015,
16:01
Tuesday was the last opportunity for those who wanted to order a classic Land Rover Defender, before one of Britain’s best known automotive models is taken out of production, The Financial Times reported.
YEREVAN, July 1. / ARKA /. Tuesday was the last opportunity for those who wanted to order a classic Land Rover Defender, before one of Britain’s best known automotive models is taken out of production, The Financial Times reported.
The all-terrain models rolling off the production line at Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull factory may look little different to those featured in 1950s newsreels of safaris and expeditions. But they are the last in the line — ending 67 years of continuous production at the Lode Lane facility.
EU rules on safety standards and carbon emissions mean one of the world’s most recognizable vehicles is being discontinued as part of a brand makeover by Tata, the Indian company that owns Jaguar Land Rover.
The company says it is the world’s most versatile vehicle, and it has been particularly popular in developing countries where roads are poor. At one stage, exports accounted for 80 per cent of production and the company had a network of 41 assembly plants worldwide, including four in Australia.
To avoid customers incurring high import duties, the car left Solihull in boxes to be assembled overseas.
Defender production peaked in 1971 at 1,250 a week, or about 50,000 a year. The plant sold 14,000 vehicles last year.
But with the end of production imminent, JLR has seen a sharp increase in orders, with sales up 14 per cent in the first five months of this year compared with 2014.
The Solihull plant employs about 450 people, making it one of the UK’s most unproductive vehicle assembly lines. Apart from some spot welding of large pieces by robots, most of the work is done by hand.
But JLR has promised there will be no redundancies, with the workforce retrained for the new Jaguar XE production line, which has moved to Solihull.-0-
The all-terrain models rolling off the production line at Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull factory may look little different to those featured in 1950s newsreels of safaris and expeditions. But they are the last in the line — ending 67 years of continuous production at the Lode Lane facility.
EU rules on safety standards and carbon emissions mean one of the world’s most recognizable vehicles is being discontinued as part of a brand makeover by Tata, the Indian company that owns Jaguar Land Rover.
The company says it is the world’s most versatile vehicle, and it has been particularly popular in developing countries where roads are poor. At one stage, exports accounted for 80 per cent of production and the company had a network of 41 assembly plants worldwide, including four in Australia.
To avoid customers incurring high import duties, the car left Solihull in boxes to be assembled overseas.
Defender production peaked in 1971 at 1,250 a week, or about 50,000 a year. The plant sold 14,000 vehicles last year.
But with the end of production imminent, JLR has seen a sharp increase in orders, with sales up 14 per cent in the first five months of this year compared with 2014.
The Solihull plant employs about 450 people, making it one of the UK’s most unproductive vehicle assembly lines. Apart from some spot welding of large pieces by robots, most of the work is done by hand.
But JLR has promised there will be no redundancies, with the workforce retrained for the new Jaguar XE production line, which has moved to Solihull.-0-
