Tata to build LR in China

[haven]

Tata plans to build Jaguar and Land Rover models in a new plant in China. The vehicles will be sold in China and emerging markets. There is no word about which LR models will be built in China.

Once the Chinese plant is up and running, one plant in England will be closed. One British facility will continue to produce vehicles for USA and Europe.

Autoblog posted this story, which was first published by Automotive News.

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/02/report-tata-planning-to-build-jaguar-and-land-rover-models-in-c/

 

[matt marquardt]

depressing

 

[BIGdaddy]

depressing

Really?

Could there be anything worse than British car build quality? I've got a lot of chinese made stuff that has been going for years and years.

Nothing wrong with chinese, per se, its the CHEAP chinese stuff that's bad.


CHEAP anything for that matter is usually going to be disappointing.

 

[Momrocks]

Uh Oh, buckle up BIGdaddy here it comes

:lurk:

 

[Rallyroo]

iPhones are made in China and suicide rates at those factories are high. And to think, the average iPhone factory worker's pay is $300/month.

 

[Red90]

And to think, the average iPhone factory worker's pay is $300/month.

Which is a good wage in China. Living costs are different.

 

[BIGdaddy]

Uh Oh, buckle up BIGdaddy here it comes

:lurk:

eepwall:

-The Lucas motto: "Get home before dark."
-Lucas is the patent holder for the short circuit.
-Lucas - Inventor of the first intermittent wiper.
-Lucas - Inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.
-The three position Lucas switch - Dim, Flicker and Off.
-The Original Anti-Theft Device - Lucas Electrics.

[runs away]

 

[BIGdaddy]

Which is a good wage in China. Living costs are different.

yeah, I spent some time in China. Way different structure there...Things tend to cost less, since legal/logistics cost are lower.

No housing inspector = somewhat less safe building practices, but also far less cost, and higher competition for raw material production. There isn't a plywood association say yes/no to building products, etc.

 

[bunduguy]

I'm with Big Daddy - nothin' wrong with Chinese, if it's not cheap!
I try to by as local as possible. Even as a South Africa, I try to by US made when possible, if it is not South African. But, both my very expensive carbon bicycles were made in China, and I regularly entrust my life to them.

My last 3 Land Rovers were all made in Solihull, but maybe the Chinese made ones will actually be good...he he :sombrero:

 

[Dave Bennett]

eepwall:

-The Lucas motto: "Get home before dark."
-Lucas is the patent holder for the short circuit.
-Lucas - Inventor of the first intermittent wiper.
-Lucas - Inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.
-The three position Lucas switch - Dim, Flicker and Off.
-The Original Anti-Theft Device - Lucas Electrics.

[runs away]

:lurk:

I wonder how long that factory has been there in the UK? What a shame.

.02

 

[AmericaOverland]

When I read this, the first thing that came out of my mouth was, "Then those Land Rovers aren't really Land Rovers anymore. They're some former british vehicle made in China." I'm tired of seeing that label "Made in China."

 

[Dave Bennett]

Well, IMO, Jaguar stopped being Jaguar when Ford bought them... they even started looking Ford-ish to me.

I imagine LR's made in China for the asian market will eventually look... Chinese.

Not to bash China though, I have lots of "made in China" stuff that is just fine, some even excellent. But I do tire of seeing it on everything.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

eepwall:

-The Lucas motto: "Get home before dark."
-Lucas is the patent holder for the short circuit.
-Lucas - Inventor of the first intermittent wiper.
-Lucas - Inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.
-The three position Lucas switch - Dim, Flicker and Off.
-The Original Anti-Theft Device - Lucas Electrics.

[runs away]

Ok, it's all funny stuff and all but...

There's no Lucas on a modern Rover. I have yet to find one part on my 2004. Most of it is Bosch. In fact, most everything on the vehicle is the exact same as so many other European cars. BMW, Porsche, Mercedes, Audi... you'd be amazed. Most of our sensors are Bosch. The MAF is actually the exact same part used in VW, Mercedes and BMW. The auto trans is a ZF, used in some Porsche, and just about every BMW. The driveshafts I believe were made by Dana/Spicer (?). The ABS systems is Wabco, the exact same part used on Hummers.

It's just assembled in the UK. Which... I've never been to one of their plants. I have been to the Magna Steyr factory in Austria, and was blown away by how good it was. And as much as I hate to admit it, I'd prefer a car assembled in Mexico, vs. one assembled in Canada. The US was somewhere in the middle. I can say that US workers are perfectly capable of taking a part which failed final test, and putting it in the "ship" bin instead of the "reject" bin, by accident. Experienced that several times. This is not something restricted to the Chinese.

Sure, we have our dropping liners, but is it any different than BMW M3 oil starvation engine failures? The reality is, as much as we like to *****, I don't think modern Land Rovers are any less reliable than any other European brand. I'm talking reality, not JDP or Consumers Reports. Talk to the owners of any out-of-warranty non-Japanese brand, and the owners will tell you they are unreliable pieces of **** but they love them anyway.

 

[Alaska Mike]

To be honest, I was expecting production to be moved to India. So, this really isn't a surprise. Just an economic reality, when trying to position the marque in today's world.

My hope is that Land Rover starts looking at utility as a viable option again, not just in emerging markets but in the US/Europe as well.

As for the whole China issue? Well... all I can say is support the manufacturers who deserve your patronage through the quality of their products.

 

[Antichrist]

I'm more bothered by how they are limiting who can sell genuine parts inthe US and how they restrict vendors in the UK from shipping them to the US.

Even though I've been driving almost nothing but Land Rovers for the past 35 years, I didn't ever really expect to buy another Land Rover product. They've strayed too far from their roots IMO.