Tata plan to build new Defender in India, not UK - from 2015

Doesn't it make sense for Tata to build where there is a market for sales both in India, China and Asia? Since Tata already build Freelander 2s in India it's no big deal to build the new Defender in the same plant. I would assume that they will still build in UK for the home, European and US markets as they are expanding their UK engine and build facilities and busily recruiting staff. In a global market with global cars changes are inevitable and JLR are a sucess story, as are Nissan, Honda and Toyota too.

Roger

I heard last June there was a possibility Tata may open an assembly line in Pune to build the Range Rover , Freelander for export and Indian markets. Apparently there is a 100% import duty payable by their locals. 

Maybe Tata can see  a big future saving??

I hope Solihull doesn't get messed up. Mind you it seems odd they have recently made plans to expand the Jaguar output with 500 new jobs available.

Seeing the Autocar interview wiith Tata's Chairman it seems as if Defender will be built at Pune and then exported back to UK (Europe too) as a way of increasing sales by getting prices down. Seeing that Japanese pickups have taken a large part of what used to traditionally be Defender territory, and military sales have fallen Tata's stategy would make sense.  UK will still be central to JLR strategy regards design - development centre and build of Disco, FL2, Evoque and big RR.  Interview did not say where North American and future South American exports wil be built.

I long for the day when every news report showing UN vehicles in humanitarian roles shows a Land Rover instead of a Land Cruiser.

TaTa already have most of the steel industry, so why not everything else?

Starting work in a era when sheffield ruled the world in steel, and Britain actually had its own car industry, i find all these things very depressing.

Just grateful my working life is over.

Mean while we give India hand outs??

LR haven't had the desire to build trucks that tough for a long time - I'm sure they could do it if they put their mind to it though.

The quality might improve then!!! LR could produce anything as tough as a land Cruiser if they had a mind to but they just don't seem to care about that anymore and are more interested in money spinning blingmobiles like that new thing with the RR badge.

Let's just hope nothing vital is controlled by voice command then 

Drivers would need to put on an accent like Rangi Ram (played by Michael Bates) in "It Ain't Half Hot Mum"

Unfortunately with UK workers going on strike for even higher wages has done them no favours which is why a lot of manufacturing has moved overseas as labour, one of the main costs or ingredients of manufacturing is cheaper. 0

We used to be big LR fans when we lived in Southern Africa, but reliability became a serious consideration plus price of spares etc.  We started buying Toyotas and have never looked back and doubt if we would buy another LR product even if it became the most reliable vehicle on the planet.

On Saturday we went down to see a late Defender 110 from a LR franchise who had not replied to our valuation request. Anyway we could not see the car with only 6k on the clock as it was in the workshop being fixed. This is a 60 reg with just over 6000 miles on the clock. So we looked at a new Defender XS, and my wife , who does not normally comment in details on cars, spotted the poor quality soldering and connectors on the rear screen heater, and whilst supping coffee noticed that the bonnet did not close properly. Me knowing everything reckoned that it was not closed properly and was on its safety catch. So I freed the bonnet catch from inside the car and lifted the bonnet then dropped it about 1 foot. Still the same, you could see a 1 inch gap and all spring latch mechanism inside. This was a brand new unregistered showroom car.

Needless to say OH has now firmly stated that if I want LR it had better be an old one just for a hobby as no way was the XC 70 being traded against a newish Defender. Must say she was'nt too impressed with the rust around the vents on an 03 Defender either , comments such as 'Son in laws old Toyota Surf knocks spots off that!' So back to the drawing board for moi.