Jaguar Land Rover Isn't Changing Its Plans Because of Brexit; Analyst Says Pain Lies Ahead

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Jaguar Land Rover’s brands are as British as crumpets and the Union Jack (ignore the fact that it’s owned by India’s Tata Motors), so concerns over Britain’s vote to leave the European Union should fall squarely on its tweed-covered shoulders.

The automaker is keeping a stiff upper lip, at least in public, with a spokesperson saying the company doesn’t plan to make changes to its strategy, Reuters reports.

A $1.34 billion assembly plant in Slovakia is going ahead as planned, said Jaguar Land Rover strategy director Adrian Hallmark, who called the Brexit a “short-term issue” during a news conference.

“Our commitment is to our existing operations in the UK, future operations in Europe of which we have already announced the Slovakia plant which will be coming on stream in just a few years,” Hallmark said.

The Slovakia plant’s location was picked from a diverse list of potential sites that included the U.S. and UK. Production could reach up to 150,000 vehicles per year after it opens in 2018.

One industry analyst, speaking with Bloomberg, said the short-term pain for the UK and EU will be severe. Ian Fletcher, analyst for IHS Automotive, told the publication that the Brexit vote could erase the sales of 2.8 million vehicles between now and 2018.

“The U.K. is, unsurprisingly, anticipated to bear the brunt of the impact,” Fletcher said. He predicts that the UK vehicle market will shrink from a previously estimated 3.2 million vehicles to just one million, according to IHS calculations. Expect declines for two years after that, Fletcher added.

According to the Society of Manufacturers and Traders, at last count, the $20 billion-plus British auto industry ships 80 percent of its vehicles overseas, with 60 percent of that total bound for countries in the EU.

[Image: Jaguar Land Rover]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Stevenrogers Stevenrogers on Jun 30, 2016

    Jaguar should make some Supercar which is powerful to stand aside with all the present supercars and which is cheaper as price stays in a Million. This is how Jaguar will make his marks on the ground easily

  • Ricky Spanish Ricky Spanish on Jun 30, 2016

    Is this "The Truth About Cars" or "Undereducated Xenophobic Racists Spout Economic and Political Nonsense?"

    • VoGo VoGo on Jun 30, 2016

      Depends on the day of the week. -Monday: The Truth about Cars -Tuesday: Yay Ford! Day -Wednesday: Undereducated Xenophobic Racists Spout Economic and Political Nonsense Day -Thursday: Yay Ford Day, again -Friday: Anything Goes -Saturday: Midsize Diesel Pickup Debate -Sunday: "I hate on Tesla because change is scary" Day -Holidays: Bring back Mercury because I miss seeing Jill Wagner Day

  • Joe This is called a man in the middle attack and has been around for years. You can fall for this in a Starbucks as easily as when you’re charging your car. Nothing new here…
  • AZFelix Hilux technical, preferably with a swivel mount.
  • ToolGuy This is the kind of thing you get when you give people faster internet.
  • ToolGuy North America is already the greatest country on the planet, and I have learned to be careful about what I wish for in terms of making changes. I mean, if Greenland wants to buy JDM vehicles, isn't that for the Danes to decide?
  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
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