Perilous road lies ahead for industry
A NEW version of the Land Rover Defender will be unveiled this year.
HoweverJaguar Land Rover hasn’t confirmed it will be built in Britain, with suggestions that it could be made in Slovakia.
Boss Dr Ralf Speth says the firm is conscious of the company’s heritage, which dates back nearly 100 years to a firm making motorcycle sidecars.
“We are custodians and we most protect the future,” he said.
But the company, which has been rejuvenated since India’s Tata bought it from Ford in 2008, is navigating a rocky route.
US President Donald Trump’s trade war with China has dented demand from the Asian powerhouse.
This, alongside Volkswagen’s diesel test cheating scandal, and a Most are outside the UK Government’s control.
But Brexit is a road block the company – and its 40,000 workers – needs like a hole in the head.
The firms holds £25million a day of stock despite – like rivals – using a “just-in-time” supply chain.
Just consider the hit to its finances if it had to hold even four days of stock.
Most big car makers here are now foreignowned but the sector as a whole, including suppliers large and small, supports 850,000 jobs.
The Government owes it to them to defend their futures by sorting out this car crash of a Brexit.