Sorry to say this but I'm with jim2RRs. At least with the first part of his post, can't say anything about Jeeps.
Don't get me wrong, my blood is boiling too. I have so many soap boxes around my house I keep tripping over them.
I don't know what it is but I talk to friends and people in general we all seem to sing from the same hymn sheet with regards to the problems in the UK but when it get's to politicians, their brains drop out apart from their expense sheet. IMO totally out of touch with the voters.
Our car industry has been destroyed by successive governments, been sold of to foreign companies and now those companies can do what they want with our industries, shutting them down or holding the government to ransom to pay huge subsidies to keep the factories open. We make all in this country now compared with what we did.
That's it I'm off again into a rant, so I'll stop.  '88 RR Classic, '90 Classic, '93 Classic, '02 Discovery TD5, '55 Discovery 3, '01 P38 4.6, '06 L322 Vogue TD6, 2012 L322 Vogue TDV8, 2017 L405 Autobiography
Wife. '01 Freelander, '07 Freelander 2.

. . . . . I'm slightly confused by the previous two posts.

Sorry about this Jim, but people in other parts of the world can make cars, and good ones at that. Even in Italy ! The truth about the US motor industry is that it makes rubbish . . . . . Jeeps included !

Land Rover have always been a low volume manufacturer which is probably down to several things including successive governments and limited forward planning.

But, look what has happened since Tata took over . . . . that looks like real progress to me. Lots of new models with a much broader range than anyone could ever have imagined.

They should build cars in other countries - that's what everybody else does.

Sorry Jim, but I stick to my guns - the flag sells.

But, the buyer's in charge - and they can always buy something else ! Where do you go after one of these . . . ?

roger 47 wrote:

We make all in this country now compared with what we did

roger 47 wrote:

Our car industry has been destroyed by successive governments

Hmmm, not really sure I agree with that. I think our car industry has been destroyed by producing poor quality products. In the 70's/80's when I grew up my parents had British cars. I prayed for wet weather... good chance they wouldn't start and I could bunk school! If only they had seen the light and bought a Japanese car, I would be much better educated than I am today!

The folks ran a car hire business. I remember well them buying 3 new Metros. On one the window fell into the door after about 50 miles. Another had to go back because the engine seized.

Its a shame to see yet JLR move some production to China but seeing as they seem to buy a lot of the cars its not surprising. Lloyd Barnes

Current
Crendon 427 Sideoiler Cobra in build... 7 litres of madness!

Gone
2008 TDV8 Vogue - Black with Ivory/Grand Black Lacquer
2008 VW Touareg 3.0Tdi
6.3litre Dax Cobra - 12.34 Second 1/4mile at 114mph

Indeed the whole story is sad ...but I'm with TugRR on that one

JJ

Why is it sad that JLR are such a success that they need to build a factory in China (like other premium brands) to satisfy demand there?

No other premium manufacturer who builds cars in China for the Chinese market exports these back to the original markets.

Don't be so pessimistic - this is GREAT NEWS.

Last edited by Martin on 20th Nov 2012 4:37pm. Edited 1 time in total

+1^

i agree with Martin & Gary,

nothing but good news for JLR, it shouldn't have any effect on jobs/production in this country. You can paypal direct using - www.paypal.me/duckworthparts
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Muddywheels wrote:

90% are exported so the duty could not have been putting too many off

They duty varies from country to country. And Chinas knows how to make your eyes water.

jim2RRs wrote:

Her Wrangler will be our third Jeep.
They just work. Minimum fuss. (in my experience)
I don't have to think about my wife's Grand Cherokee. Ever. At all.
Which is good, since worrying about the Rovers consumes quite a bit of time.
So now Jeeps will be made in Italy. See above note about most unreliable vehicles on the planet.

.

I had a jeep cherokee. Never, ever, ever had any problems in all the time i owned it.

Plus it only cost me around £30 in parts for a full service

We also owned a Jeep Wrangler 2.5 CRD Limited in the mid nineties and as above it had zero issues, however we also had a LR D3 Metropolis for three years from 2005 and that had ZERO issue too.....

Had a 4.0 Rubicon Jeep, not a single issue, used to cost £ 30 for the basic service in Canada
Actually though when I bought my FFRR in Canada the first 6 services were free  2021 P400 Silicon Silver AB
Gone 2011 Bournville TDV8 VSE
Gone 2008 Black Canadian HSE LUX

If I'm correct the KK is a Liberty.
Yes, the Libby is a piece of ; I thought everyone knew that. Maybe it was just the "jeep" people who knew that.
Kind of like the Freeloader.

Freelander 1 had a timing belt that had to be replaced at around 70,000 miles.
Since it is an "interference" engine, when the belt failed, the valves would "interfere" with the pistons.
And, as you can imagine, that is bad.
Bad as in, the "check engine light" is referred to as the "change engine light".

Tata is saving JLR's bacon, no doubt about it.
Ford's purchase of Jag turned that brand around.
OK, the square headlights on the XJ sucked, but jag would have been toast without Ford.

The L322 introduced the BMW engines. For once, a Range Rover stopped leaking oil and everything else.
The engine used in the P38s (95-02) as well as the "classic" Rangies was a Buick design from the 60s.
They bored it, they stroked it. They squeezed every cubic centimeter out of it they could.
But, at the end of the day, it was still a pushrod V8 purchased from General Motors in the 60s.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think US auto manufacturers are the be-all, end-all in cars.
With the execption of a couple models, they may as well be Japanese for their utter lack of style.
The Germans seem to have the knack of making good cars.
Who else?

I don't put much value in Consumer Reports-type ratings, but Jag & LR were on the absolute BOTTOM of the reliability surveys for years.
These ratings are based on the people who buy (or lease) new vehicles and use dealers for service; not exactly a group of people whose opinion I hold in high regard. Then again, I don't think "free" coffee in the dealer waiting room is something to get all excited about.
But, these are the people LR needs to target.
They've managed to claw their way up off the bottom, largely a result of BMW, Ford, and now, Tata.

Here in the US, a Range Rover is a status car.
Very few of us actually take them off-road, so for the most part, they are "look at me" cars.
Look at the drivers, plastic Barbie wives and self-absorbed wienies.
Try waving at another RR like I do; if they even notice there's another vehicle on the road, they usually look at you like you're an idiot.
Granted, you have lots more on the road than we do, but give it a shot.
RR Classics, Disco1 & 2, and Defenders will wave back; some of them even wave first.

The status symbol buyer is the future of this brand.
Poseur-mobiles are what sells.
Lots of cars are being sold in China. It only makes sense to build them there.
Labor cost is what, $1 per month?
So LR's production cost goes down, profit (should) go up, all other things being equal.
LR makes more money, they stay in business.
That's good, I still have another 3 years until they stop making parts for my '05 RR.
Maybe if they stay in business, there'll be more Range Rovers.

Will I buy a car made in China?
Never in a million years.

Interestingly, my daughter & I were out & about yesterday.
I pointed out an H2 to her, asked her what she thought.
"God, that thing is ugly!"
"Well, I was going to get it for mom, she likes them, and you'd get her jeep."
"That'd be okay, but that Hummer is still ugly."
"What about a Disco?", as I pointed across the parking lot.
"A Disco would be fine, but not the LR3, a REAL Disco." (LR3 is a Disco3 to you)

So there you have it, from a teenaged girl.
A "real" Disco, or a Wrangler.
To the good, an '04 Disco would only cost about half the price of a '11 or '12 Wrangler.
She's right about the LR3 as well. To me, it has none of the style of a Disco.
My neighbor has 1, I just can't get excited about it at all. It looks like a big refridgerator box on wheels.

I did see an evoke a month or so ago.
It has all the style of a high-top tennis shoe.
I thought it was an Acura. blech. Jim
2000 NAS HSE
2005 NAS HSE

That 4.0L Jeep inline 6 was the best engine they ever made.
My wife's has about 85,000 miles on it, and it's still clean enough to eat off of. Jim
2000 NAS HSE
2005 NAS HSE

Lloyd Barnes wrote:

...... In the 70's/80's when I grew up my parents had British cars. I prayed for wet weather... good chance they wouldn't start and I could bunk school! If only they had seen the light and bought a Japanese car, I would be much better educated than I am today!

The folks ran a car hire business. I remember well them buying 3 new Metros. On one the window fell into the door after about 50 miles. Another had to go back because the engine seized......

Comparing british cars today to then is ridiculous

All cars were rubbish back then in comparison  Wanted a Series 2 LR since childhood but previously owned MY16 Disco Sport HSE TD4 Auto, MY13 RR Sport Black Edition TDV6 Auto, MY10 RR Sport HSE TDV6 Auto, 2007 Freelander 1 Freestyle TD4 Soft Top, 2009 Freelander 2 GS TD4 Auto, 2007 Freelander 2 GS TD4, 2004 Disco 2 Metropolis Auto, 2002 Disco 2 GS, 2000 Freelander 1 SE TD4 SW

Still hoping for a S2 one day!