Jaguar Land Rover adds 1,700 more jobs in the West Midlands
JAGUAR Land Rover is creating 1,700 new jobs in the West Midlands, the British car manufacturer announced today.
The company has pledged to invest almost £1.5bn in a new aluminium body for its next models, requiring new staff at its Advanced Manufacturing Facility in Solihull.
The announcement comes less than a month after reports that JLR was preparing to add up to 1,000 new jobs at its Merseyside factory. The company said today that it has created almost 11,000 UK manufacturing roles in the last three years.
Tata Motors-owned JLR posted a 30 per cent rise in sales last year, helped by booming demand in fast-growing Asian markets and the United States.
“[T]his investment and level of job creation is yet further evidence of our commitment to advancing the capability of the UK automotive sector and its supply chain,” said chief executive Ralf Speth, who is unveiling the plan at the Frankfurt motor show.
Elsewhere at the event, visitors were left puzzled by the last-minute cancellation from Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne for unspecified “work commitments”.
Shares in Fiat spiked five per cent on rumours that he scrapped his appearance to attend talks with Chrysler, the company’s US unit, which Marchionne hopes to buy out.
Chairman John Elkann has also pulled out of the key industry event.