More positive news for the British auto industry as the Jaguar-Land Rover (JLR) group plans to spend an additional £1 billion (US$1.6 billion) with UK suppliers over the next four years due to rising global demand for its Range Rover Evoque compact SUV.
This amount is in addition to the £2 billion (US$3.2 billion) contracts that Jaguar-Land Rover awarded to more than 40 UK suppliers in March of 2011 to provide components, facilities and services to support the Range Rover Evoque assembly line at Halewood on Merseyside.
The British company, which is owned by India’s Tata Motors, also confirmed the opening of a new logistics facility in Ellesmere Port, UK, this summer to support both the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Freelander 2. The facility, which will be managed by JLR’s logistics provider, DHL, will result in the creation of 300 new jobs.
“Today’s announcements demonstrate JLR’s strong products and clear ambition for continued growth. The demand we have seen across the globe for the Range Rover Evoque means we are able to significantly increase what we spend with our suppliers, which is great news for the UK economy, and the thousands of jobs JLR supports in its supply chain,” said Ralf Speth, CEO Jaguar Land Rover.
“Our commitment to the North West will also be enhanced with the new logistics facility and this will support the future success of both our Freelander 2 and Range Rover Evoque models,” added Speth.
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