Jaguar Land Rover And Ford To Axe Thousands Of Jobs
Jaguar Land Rover and Ford are to cut thousands of jobs, including at least 2,000 in the UK. Carmakers are struggling with challenges ranging from lower demand in China to a depressed diesel sales in Europe after the VW emissions scandal. British car sales fell for the second year running in 2018, by almost 7%, with consumer confidence dented by Brexit, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Both Ford and JLR warned that the longer-term future for the British car industry remains uncertain because of Brexit. Japanese carmaker Honda also said it will shut down its Swindon factory for six days in April, following the planned departure date on 29 March. JLR, Britain鈥檚 biggest carmaker, said it will lose 4,500 jobs from its global workforce, the majority of them management roles in the UK at sites including Coventry and Gaydon. The company will start a voluntary redundancy programme. Ford announced widespread cuts across its European operations on Thursday, although large-scale job losses are not expected imminently in the UK.
Sure, the HR-V is slightly larger than the EcoSport but even the Hyundai Kona, which is similarly sized as the EcoSport, has more usable space. The Kona鈥檚 cargo capacity checks in at 19.2 cubic feet with the rear seats in place and 45.8 cubic feet with them folded. But there鈥檚 a difference between numbers and actual usability鈥攚here the Kona wins because of its wider door opening, lack of intrusions into the space, and the car being slightly wider. Millennials love their electronic devices, and the EcoSport鈥檚 infotainment system meets those needs. Ford鈥檚 Sync 3 is one of the best multimedia interfaces available, featuring a quick-responding 8.0-inch touchscreen, clear graphics, and a straightforward menu layout with most of the important functions easy accessible. The EcoSport鈥檚 diminutive interior means the touchscreen is in close proximity to the driver, eliminating the need to reach forward when using it. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto work well, but you can鈥檛 have it operate alongside the main interface, hence there鈥檚 no way to play music from a flash drive and use Google Maps via Android Auto simultaneously.
Land Rover is finally about to offer a diesel option for its Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models here in the U.S. The diesel engine will be offered in a new HSE Td6 variant, which will join the rest of the 2016 Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models in showrooms this fall. EPA-rated figures are yet to be released but Land Rover predicts both the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport will return around 22/28 mpg city/highway and 25 mpg combined. And on a full tank of diesel, total range should increase to about 658 miles, a gain of 3.3 percent for the Range Rover and 8 percent for the Range Rover Sport. An eight-speed automatic will remain standard. Peak output is a stout 254 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque, with the latter available from just 1,750 rpm. This high torque output at relatively low revs makes the diesel engine well suited to towing heavy loads and off-roading where reaching maximum torque at a lower gear is extremely beneficial. And despite having 100 hp less than the gasoline V-6, the diesel鈥檚 low-end torque helps deliver comparable acceleration figures. The diesel-equipped Range Rover Sport will accelerate from 0-60 mph in 7.1 seconds and the Range Rover will do it in 7.4 seconds. That compares with 6.9 and 7.1 seconds respectively for the gasoline-equipped models. Top speed is 130 mph for both. Of course, if outright performance is your preference, may we suggest taking a look at the 550-hp Range Rover Sport SVR. Land Rover engineers are currently testing the diesel-equipped Range Rover and Range Rover Sport on U.S. 14,000 feet. By the time sales have begun, the test fleet will have completed one million test miles.
Jaguar Land Rover, the UK鈥檚 largest automotive employer, took on 85 ex-service personnel last year to start new careers in the automotive industry. Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ralf Speth believes that former service personnel have made a huge contribution to the UK and have valuable skills that could be used within the car industry. Speaking ahead of the Business in The Community annual awards ceremony, Dr. Speth said: 鈥淢ilitary servicemen and women are extremely well trained. Jaguar Land Rover鈥檚 latest traineeship programme aims to address the social and economic issues of high unemployment among former service personnel. One in 10 homeless is ex-military and this year, 24,000 military will leave the forces, 6,500 of whom will be Early Service Leavers with no military qualifications, which may make it more difficult for them to find work. Simon Weston, Falklands War veteran, added, 鈥淭his is a brilliant idea to back our ex-servicemen from Britain鈥檚 biggest car firm. The country has a major problem finding employment for thousands of ex-servicemen who had served their country.
Jaguar Land Rover has announced plans to build a 拢355m engine plant in the Midlands, creating more than 2,000 jobs and pumping millions of pounds worth of business into the supply chain. JLR made the announcement alongside Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, following a Government pledge to underpin JLR's investment with a 拢10m support package. The new plant will be based at the i54 business park in Wolverhampton, an enterprise zone, and will take around two years to build. The Business Secretary said the announcement was a vote of confidence in the UK's recovery from Jaguar's owners Tata Motors. Mr Cable said today. The facility could eventually employ up to 2,000 workers, and a further 1,200 jobs will be created in the area and associated supply chain. As well as the jobs created at the plant, Mr Cable said there would be other opportunities created by the deal. One of the attractions of the West Midlands is this is the heartland of the motor industry. The Business Secretary said the 拢10m Government grant was a show of support for the manufacturer but with 拢350m investment from Tata, the project did not rely on public funds.
