It’s been a tough time for the Automotive Industry in general this year. Even before COVID-19, the uncertainty around Brexit was the cause for concern. Today’s news that the UK economy shrunk by over 20% during the last quarter will not have helped the post-lockdown recovery.
Jaguar Land Rover have responded by keeping its production operations either closed or running at significantly lower volumes of output. This week, it was revealed that the factory at Castle Bromwich that currently produces the recently facelift F Type and XF / XE is to remain out of operation until 10th August 2020.
Jaguar was planning to build the all-electric Jaguar XJ saloon at Castle Bromwich later this year but that looks likely to be delayed also. However, other plants within JLR including those in China re-opened earlier this month as we reported in a previous Friday Spotlight .
JLR has placed approximately half of its 40,000 staff worldwide on furlough and has restarted production only on a limited basis in several of its plants.
A spokesperson this week said, “Effective social distancing, hygiene and health monitoring measures are in place following an extensive review of all production lines, engineering facilities, office areas and communal spaces as the company starts a phased return to manufacturing.“
“Employees’ health and wellbeing are at the centre of this plan and, with the implementation of the new protocol, staff will experience a significant number of changes to their working day from the moment they enter the site,” Jaguar Land Rover added.
It is thought that most of the demand driving forward after the lockdown has been in China, where long-wheelbase versions of the XE and XF are produced for the Chinese market. In China JLR were also awarded a 705 million dollar loan this week to assist with battling the challenges brought about by the global pandemic.
