Jaguar to close British plant amid auto sector gloom
Indian-owned historic carmaker Jaguar Land Rover said Thursday it will close a British factory over the next decade as part of a wider restructuring drive amid mounting gloom for the auto industry.
JLR, bought by Tata Motors for 2.3 billion dollars (1.6 billion euros) last year, unveiled a new business plan which it said would cut costs, increase the group's global competitiveness and drive future growth.
The group announced that it will decide next year whether to close a central England factory at Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands, which produces Jaguars, or a site in nearby Solihull that makes Land Rovers.
Jaguar Land Rover employs 14,500 workers in Britain, including at its three manufacturing plants in Halewood, Solihull and Castle Bromwich.
But the company added that it would create up to 800 jobs in Halewood, Merseyside, northwest England, to produce a new Range Rover model.
"The plan includes decisive actions to see through the next 12-18 months as markets recover and positions the company to grow and prosper in the future," JLR said in a statement.
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