Cars ‘can be built in Cov again’
WE’LL BUILD CARS AGAIN
JAGUAR Land Rover boss Ralf Speth has spoken optimistically about the prospect of car manufacturing returning to Coventry.
The JLR chief executive spoke exclusively to the Telegraph immediately after a high level meeting involving government business secretary Greg Clark, Labour peer and Warwick manufacturing Group (WMG) chairman Lord Kumar Bhattachar- yya, and Tory West Midlands mayor candidate Andy Street.
The private summit was hosted by Lord Bhattacharyya at WMG’s University of Warwick base to discuss the government’s industrial strategy, Jaguar Land Rover’s expansion plans, and the forthcoming West Midlands mayor election on May 4.
Mr Speth confirmed his aspiration of returning car manufacturing to the city in November - almost two years after the Telegraph exclusively revealed the luxury car manufacturer’s long term plans back in March 2015.
Asked this week if he was confident JLR could return car manufacturing to Coventry, he said: “Yes. If you really work together and pick the opportunities the mobility sector is going to provide.”
Mr Speth has been clear that a number of things need to happen in order for car building to return to the city.
In November he issued a shopping list to government which included an increased energy supply, improved infrastructure, access to land and an improved 5G mobile network.
Asked how he felt after discussions with the government’s business minister Greg Clark, Mr Speth said: “I am very much encouraged.
“The automotive industry is going to see more change in the next five years than we have seen in the last 50.
“We’re going from the internal combustion engine to autonomous, connected, electrified hybridisation - but also there are mobility issues.
“That means we have to really work together. Government, university, supply chain, industry have to work together. Nobody can do it alone anymore because there is a connectivity between all these types of sectors.
“Especially here in the Midlands, there is a seed that can really grow and
make a difference. We can really integrate this new technology in the very best way and test it in a safe environment.”
He added: “It’s not just about Jaguar Land Rover, it’s bigger than Jaguar Land Rover.
“At the end of the day, if the automotive industry work with the energy sector in a better way, we can avoid building additional power plants.
“All of us have to integrate - there are so many opportunities.”
Mr Speth emphasised that time was of the essence in order for Coventry to lead the global automotive revolution - and to avoid being over- taken by the likes of China or the USA.
He said: “I was just in China and the US for automotive shows. What you see, the pace and the speed of innovation, other countries really accelerating and taking over leadership, taking over the jobs.
“From my point of view it’s better if there is an industrial strategy so that together there’s a new pace and a new speed.”
Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya said: “In the Midlands, we want jobs, we want infrastructure, we want companies to come and base themselves here.
“We are in a wonderful position to exploit it.
“I think with a mayor, with the right experience, doing the proper job I think we can get there quite fast.”