Tata Motors’ Jaguar Land Rover has awarded contracts worth GBP2.8bn (US$4.3bn) to companies worldwide to supply parts for the new F-Type, with over GBP1.5bn ($US2.3bn) placed with suppliers here in the UK.
The contracts have been awarded to over 270 companies, 116 in the UK, 50% of which are close to the F-Type’s factory.
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JLR said it had created almost 9,000 new jobs in the UK over the last two years, including 2,000 new engineers, and 350 working directly on the new sportscar, with many more across the supply chain.
Purchasing director Ian Harnett said: “As one of the leading investors in automotive research and development in the UK, JLR generates several billion pounds of economic activity here every year. We are working with world-class suppliers to strengthen the UK automotive supply base and support our ambitious plans for growth in the future.”
The first customer vehicles were this week loaded onto a train at JLR’s onsite rail siding at its Castle Bromwich factory near Birmingham.
JLR sells in over 170 countries and generates exports worth GBP11bn ($US17bn) a year, making it one of the UK’s largest exporters by value.
The company expects to export over 75% of F-Types made with the US, as was the case with the E-type decades ago, expected to be the largest market – accounting for almost half of all sales – followed by the UK and Germany.
The F-Type is built alongside the XK to maximise capacity, technology and skills. The aluminium construction is carried out in a 14,000 sq m body shop on site which uses techniques adapted from the aerospace industry.
