I've just been watching a report on BBC Midlands Today. The local news obsession with all things LR (and why not?) continues, this time reporting on the new XE to be built at Solihull. On the same track at the RR too it seems.

Whilst I see absolutely nothing wrong with this I do wonder if we are creating another Longbridge in that if (when?) the bubble burst over 9000 folks stand to loose their jobs within a small geographical area. This if I remember rightly would be more than twice the Longbridge work-force plus of course the supply chain jobs. Longbridge as an area is only just getting back on its feet and I can't help but worry its all going too well.

How long can so much reliance be placed on a British manufactured product?

The only difference I can see here is that LR innovate and excite unlike Rover of the late 20th C.

(PS my cup has always been half empty in case you wondered ). 405 AB exec seats Baltic and Cirrus
93 RR Classic efi

Remember it's easier to get forgiveness than permission!

Gone in order:
4.4 TDV8 SE - gone to a good home
93 Classic hard dash Plymouth Blue
03 L322 Oslo Blue
2000 Disco TD5 ES Epsom Green
98 P38 Rioja Red
89 Classic Cairngorm Brown

Interesting post - it was a real shame when Rover went, they were just producing some good products (I had an excellent 75 Tourer) - shame they didn't let VW buy it and do a "skoda" revamp.... It's great that LR are investing in the Midlands, but as the company is now foreign owned, there's nothing stopping them keeping R&D in the Uk and building in China/India. My cups half empty too! 2005 L322 Vogue Gold gone
2006 L322 Vogue Black gone
2011 L322 Vogue Silver gone
2011 L322 Autobiography Black gone
2015 L405 Autobiography LWB Black gone
2019 L405 P400e Range Rover Autobiography LWB Eiger grey / black roof gone
2001 P38a 30th Anniversary Wimbledon Green gone
2019 L405 P525 Autobiography LWB British Racing Green

TBH it was only a shame for the workers. The Rover product in the final years was nothing other than dreadful. However, the JLR wave is only getting stronger and yes, such waves go up and down but overall I see the JLR brand as a global leader in the automotive field. Certainly way ahead of the game that Rover were playing come their demise.

Thinking about the powerhouses in the automotive field, what with people getting out of 5 series into XF, 3 series should take a hit with XE coming online, Evoque being as trendy and popular as it is, Discovery still being the defact choice as an all round workhorse, the New Sports (Disco and RR) and of course the FFRR. There really isn't a duff non-seller in there with the possible exception of Jag XJ which still doesn't know what it is really.

So combine a world class line up with all teh ongoing investment and you'll see it's a world apart from the run down, zero investment, half-arsed bodged together Rovers of the 90s and early 2000's. If the JLR bubble were to burst it could only really be a partial deflation with so many class leading vehicles out there. Rover had 4 models, all crap and donkeys years old. There's no comparison.

Oh and you need to remember that the 4 leading Rover, headed up by Towers, well it is rumoured they were only there to run it for enough years to make themselves a small fortune. Form your own opinion on that, I know I have. They all belong in jail really.

mate works at jag and is getting moved to solihull for about 2 months while the old track is replaced to make way for new model

he said its only a short term thing while there is no production on the new car

dont know if thats the full story

Good post.

JLR are also investing heavily in the future.

Cov university has hundreds of sponsored engineering courses and JLR run their own courses.

At some point the export bubble will burst or at least slow down but I think they have a good future.

Heres hoping.

Dave