Jaguar Land Rover set for further expansion in West Midlands heartland?
VEHICLE manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover could be on the verge of further massive investment into its West Midlands heartland as it looks to sustain its long-term plan to up production volumes.
Reports have emerged that the car giant could be set to announce plans to expand operations in Coventry – with a new factory dovetailing the expansion of its administrative and technology base in Whiteley.
The Coventry Telegraph is reporting that the company will develop half of a 60-acre site close to Coventry Airport, known as Gateway North. The remaining half of the site could be a base for top tier suppliers.
The investment will obviously mean more jobs for the city and it will reinforce Coventry’s heritage as the UK’s Motor City.
The firm, which last week revealed record UK and global sales for 2015, is already committed to virtually doubling the size of its Whiteley operation but even that is not sufficient to meet its goals.
The plant in Brazil should open later this year, while the firm has recently committed to building a new plant in Slovakia. It is also doubling the size of its existing engine plant outside Wolverhampton.
Infrastructure problems are thought to be behind a delay in implementing the Coventry expansion but these have not proved a problem elsewhere.
When the company built its engine plant on the i54, Staffordshire County Council responded by building a new junction off the M54 motorway in order to serve the site.
In the case of Coventry, a new bridge may be required to span the A45 but the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership in conjunction with Coventry City Council could commit funds to the works.
