Jaguar at the British International Motor Show
The new Jaguar XF will spearhead Jaguar Land Rover under Tata
Author: David Miles
Published: 07 July 2008
Although now owned by the Indian industrial conglomerate TATA, Jaguar will be joining the automotive ranks, plus rock groups, at the British International Motor Show being held from 23 July to 3 August at ExCel in London’s Dockland.
Adult weekday tickets start from £10, children’s from £6, family tickets cost from £25 while group tickets start at £8. To book tickets visit www.britishmotorshow.co.uk.
The show, the biggest motoring event in the UK, is expected to attract 550,000 visitors with 60 vehicle manufacturers and over 600 vehicles on display. The show organisers say there will be 20 ‘world firsts’ and more than 30 additional vehicles will be making their UK debut. This show should give the hard-pressed car industry, hit by fuel prices and customers easing off buying or leasing new cars due to the credit crunch, a boost.
It is hoped the British Motor Show will inject some momentum into UK sales for the remaining six months of this year. Figures just released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that sales dropped in June by 6.1 per cent and are down on the first six months of 2008 by 1.6 per cent.
Both the private and the business sectors show significant falls in sales for June and the year to date, only fleet registrations are keeping the UK’s new car industry figures from going into freefall.
Rejuvenated Jaguar’s UK sales are rocking along nicely so far this year boosted by the launch of the new XF range. Jaguar’s overall sales show a 25.5 per cent increase in June and a 12.4 per cent increase for the first six months of this year.
Their appearance at the British Motor Show is important to maintain their sales momentum at a time when premium and executive car sales are falling overall as private and business buyers move to more fuel and tax efficient models.
Most of the major popular manufacturers are at the ExCel and the most significant product launches will be the world debut of the Vauxhall Insignia, the replacement for the Vectra, the debut of the Ford Focus RS and the launch of the revised Land Rover Discovery 3.
However premium brands such as Audi and BMW are not attending although Mercedes-Benz, Bentley, Lexus, Land Rover and Jaguar are.
The iconic British brand of Jaguar and Land Rover are now under the ownership of TATA and in the process of reorganisation but the good news is that up to 600 new UK jobs are to be created to work on new technology and product development programmes. Ford will continue to supply drivetrains and components for both brands.
Jaguar Land Rover is a business built around two great British car brands that design, engineer and manufacture in the UK. Jaguar Cars Limited, founded in 1922, is one of the world’s premier manufacturers of luxury saloons and sports cars. Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that define 'breadth of capability' in their segments.
The Jaguar XF, XJ and XK models are manufactured at the company's Castle Bromwich plant in Birmingham, while the Jaguar X-TYPE is produced alongside the Land Rover Freelander 2 at the Halewood plant in Liverpool. Land Rover's Defender, Discovery 3, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover models are all built at the Solihull plant.
The Jaguar Land Rover business employs some 16,000 people, predominantly in the UK, including some 3,500 engineers at two product development centres in Whitley, Coventry and Gaydon, Warwickshire.
The business is a major wealth generator for the UK with 78 percent of Land Rovers exported to 169 countries and 70 percent of Jaguars exported to 63 countries, with sales to customers conducted principally through franchised dealers and importers.
It’s not all good news though for the new TATA owned British brands. Land Rover has just returned June sales figures which are down by 29 per cent and 11 per cent for the year to date as customers start to move away from perceived gas-guzzling, highly-taxed and expensive 4x4s.
Ford has announced the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to India's Tata Motors, confirming one of the worst-kept secrets in automotive history.
The British car industry: Who owns who; what names might return; and whatever happened to Austin, Rover and Morris?
Pictures, details, prices and reviews of all luxury models on the UK's roads.
Jaguar Land Rover's Merseyside Halewood plant will close for one week in October as Tata moves to decrease production during difficult worldwide conditions for car buying.
Rumours that Jaguar is planning a new sports car to rival the likes of the Porsche 911 and Audi R8 have been boosted by the news that Jag has registered several new trademarks in the UK.
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