Jaguar Land Rover’s Castle Bromwich facility has been affected by a supplier issue related to coronavirus.
Honda isn’t the only automaker facing a supplier problem at a European plant. Jaguar Land Rover also has the same issue. Tata Motors’ marque, which is owned by Jaguar Land Rover, has temporarily halted production of the XE- and XF sedans.
The Guardian Production was stopped last week, and will not resume until Christmas. JLR believes it will be able to regain access the essential components that the sedans require. The good news is that the factory is still operational and the production of F-Type sports cars has not been affected.
Jaguar claims that the XE, XF production interruptions are not due to poor sales. However, the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing Brexit ordeal is certainly not helping. Castle Bromwich, like other UK plants, was shut down during March’s lockdown, but it resumed operations in August.
A report last month claims that the next-generation XJ fullsize luxury sedan could be in serious danger before its world premiere. The Sunday Times cites people close to the matter, who claim that Jaguar CEO Thierry Bollore has been seriously considering scrapping the flagship EV. Although the big cat will be made at Castle Bromwich, its future looks uncertain.
The same report also suggests that up to six Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles could be given the axe. This includes the smaller XE, XF sedans, as well as the unreleased Jaguar-J-pace-suv-confirmed%22%7D SUVs. The large JPace SUV could be one model that could help Jaguar make a comeback. However, we don’t have spy shots of prototypes so it will likely take a while before it is available on the market.