There's a call for Jaguar to to transition to defence/aerospace manufacturing. Just because it's currently in the news, doesn't mean every company should jump on that bandwagon. Changes like this need thinking about: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwr7d3xd377do

I've seen that done many times!

This has been done many times over the years. Each time the older ones with the experience go, leaving massive knowledge gaps. In order to fill the gaps, new roles are created... and we go full circle!

The new boss ought to take a leaf out of Michael Edwardes book and run basic intelligence and social skills tests on the management grades. Many are highly qualified but lack the ability to manage.

More jobs are going. I wonder how much the spotty sprogs with 'Management Consultant' degrees got paid for that idea: [url]https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/jaguar-land-rover-dramatically-reduce-19857207[/url]

I foresee redundancies ahead.

I also think they're making a big mistake trying to be trailblazers. Developing technology to use in mainstream autos is expensive. Far better to be second and survive, than be first and bankrupt yourself doing it. And I also think that they need to differentiate the two brands far better than they currently do. But hey, what do I know?

The idea of using hydrogen as a fuel source has been banded around for a while, but nobody seems to have done much about it until now.

[url]https://www.itv.com/news/2021-02-15/a-complete-renaissance-jaguar-land-rover-to-become-electric-only-by-2025?fbclid=IwAR3TMK8VKLeY0QFnIAUPbzjsjZm_92PtJK3yDAtOOl9bV7-41lQsQCIaT4w[/url]





Jaguar’s fleet will be all-electric “from 2025”. Land Rover’s will take longer to go green - the first battery electric vehicle won’t be produced until 2024.

JLR is developing fuel-cell technology that uses hydrogen gas to generate electricity to power cars and produces zero emissions. So far, so positive. Climate change demands that we live our lives in radically different ways and JLR, sensibly, plans to march in pace with the times.

But the transformation required is considerable. As it stands, 57% of the cars it sold last year were pure petrol or diesel engines. The company has made it clear where it wants to end-up, it hasn’t really said how it will get there. We have the destination but not the roadmap.

Bollore said JLR will make fewer models and use fewer platforms in future. He speaks of prioritising “quality and profits over volume” and of “right sizing the business”. These are pretty clear indications that JLR will produce fewer cars going and will need fewer people as a result.

JLR is heavily reliant on the Chinese market at the moment. US manufacturers are already reporting trading difficulties due to coronavirus, I fear for what it might do to JLR's financial situation.

More production cutbacks for JLR: [url]https://solihullobserver.co.uk/news/shift-halts-announced-for-jaguar-land-rovers-solihull-and-castle-bromwich-plants-17419/[/url]

It's an interesting story behind that. JLR (IMO) missed a trick by not selling him the old lines, designs and intellectual property. - It was such a mess it would have cost a fortune to use without expert (more money into JLR) help.

As it is I really can't see this project being viable longterm. Shipping in components from Portugal in the small quantities necessary will not (IMO) be viable. These are going to be very expensive agricultural vehicles and there is a limited market. Sales figures will not be high.

I suspect that we might well see a re-run of DeLorean before the project is closed due to finances running dry, unless it's used as purely an 'add-on' business.

A rival for the Defender model: [url]https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/land-rover-defender-rival-called-17369753[/url]

Ooh look, our 'expert' must have read my previous post...

[quote]“The company has a complicated and overlapping vehicle range, which has caused a phenomenon known as sales cannibalisation, where similar vehicles across JLR simply compete for the same customers.[/quote]

Source:[url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/land-rover-jaguar-charles-tennant-16652187]Coventry Telegraph[/url]

Well, apart from the fact that I consider the 'expert' an ar$ehole...

Tata cannot afford to continue funding the losses, so I don't blame them for looking to offload the company. However, the issues are deeply ingrained and unless anyone is really prepared to get to grips with things, the situation will not improve.

The formation of JLR wasn't, as many assume, a merger, but a takeover of L/R by Jaguar. Anyone with half a brain can look back and see that Jaguar hasn't made money in years. L/R's quality was rubbish, but it did make money.

Lessons haven't been learned from the 70's (Jaguar's culture well into the 2000's) where there were too many vehicles competeing in the same market segment. Had those at Jaguar taken more of a backseat and kept the two brands separate things might have turned out very different. Jaguar ought be making fast gentlemen's cars, with L/R making big beefy off roaders. Of course, killing Defender off hasn't helped!

If Peugeot do take this mess on they are going to need to be very firm (I'd fire all the management) unless thet want the problems that Chrysler brought to Mercedes occuring on their own doorstep.

Another twist in the tale: [url]https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/jaguar-land-rover-peugeot-sale-16252115[/url]

I suspect that they will move production abroad where they can, but equally I think it will spectacularly backfire on them. - Both brands are inherently British, and known to do what they promise: and that is largely what sells them.

The biggest issue that they face is that they have merged the brands instead of keeping them separate. Jaguars are fast gentlemen's cars, Land Rovers are go anywhere trucks. - And for that, the Sales and marketing guys are at fault.

It's easy to make money from car production in the good times, but once the good times turn you get to see the quality of the management. JLR hasn't got a good team in place, just as Rover hadn't when it finally went bump.

I heard a report today saying they're recruiting for their overseas facilities - sounds like they're moving the whole operation abroad.