World’s motor industry spotlight on Warwickshire
The announcement from Indian motoring giant Tata that the headquarters for Jaguar Land Rover will remain in Warwickshire has been welcomed.
Cllr Chris Saint, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, stated that the Tata acquisition of the two iconic brands of Jaguar and Land Rover was excellent news for the County.
He said: “It will not only secure employment, but hopefully lead to new investment, drawing new talent into the area as well as supporting the suppliers to the automotive sector throughout the sub-region.”
This week saw the final contract signed at Gaydon, between Tata Motors and Ford to transfer ownership of Jaguar Land Rover to the world class Tata Group.
Ratan Tata, a world-leading industrialist, described the event as a ‘momentous time’ before meeting key figures at the Gaydon site.
Jaguar Land Rover is the largest manufacturing employer in the sub region by a large margin. It employs 2,890 people at Gaydon alone, which, together with its local suppliers, accounts for a significant percentage of numbers employed in manufacture in the County.
Along with the major facilities of BMW at Hams Hall, Aston Martin, also at Gaydon and Prodrive at Fen End, Warwickshire remains truly at the heart of the motor industry in the UK.
Cllr Saint said: “While we regretted the loss of Peugeot and Rover in recent years, we remain confident that the world market for specialist cars produced in Warwickshire and the sub-region, will ensure that we will continue to be at the heart of world class excellence in the motor industry.”
The new Chief Executive Officer of Jaguar Land Rover, David Smith, who has been covering the role in an interim capacity until now, said: “We are very pleased with the association with Tata Motors. We look forward to a sustained bright future for the company and its stakeholders”. David is based at the headquarters in Gaydon.