Mexican Media Brands
JLR Abandons Plan for Assembly Plant in Saudi Arabia
Jaguar Land Rover Ltd. has cancelled plans to establish vehicle production in Saudi Arabia, sources tell the Financial Times.
Share
Jaguar Land Rover Ltd. has cancelled plans to establish vehicle production in Saudi Arabia, sources tell the Financial Times.
The scheme, code named Project Fern, aimed to give JLR a domestic production base in one of its strongest markets, while helping Saudi Arabia establish a manufacturing base. JLR signed a letter of intent in 2012 to erect a factory in the country by 2017 with annual capacity to make 50,000 vehicles.
But FT's sources say Saudi Arabia wanted to control the plant and charge JLR rent and maintenance fees. They also say the project was complicated by the challenges of keeping fine desert sand particles out of the production process and complying with Saudi rules about segregating men and women in the workplace. "In the end," one source tells the newspaper, "nobody really wanted it."
The FT points out that the need for and financial viability of a Saudi factory has been sharply reduced within the past year by JLR's plans for production in China, Brazil and Slovakia.
RELATED CONTENT
-
On Automotive: An All Electric Edition
A look at electric vehicle-related developments, from new products to recycling old batteries.
-
Multiple Choices for Light, High-Performance Chassis
How carbon fiber is utilized is as different as the vehicles on which it is used. From full carbon tubs to partial panels to welded steel tube sandwich structures, the only limitation is imagination.
-
Cobots: 14 Things You Need to Know
What jobs do cobots do well? How is a cobot programmed? What’s the ROI? We asked these questions and more to four of the leading suppliers of cobots.
