Tata owned Jaguar halts production
London, Jan.20: Beleaguered car maker Jaguar has closed its Castle Bromwich plant, which employs 3,500 staff, for a fortnight just one week after the plant reopened following an extended Christmas shutdown.
Owned by India"s Tata Motors, the Telegraph quoted the company as saying that the closure was in response to the dramatic slump in demand for new cars and to prepare for construction of new models unveiled at the Detroit motor show last week.
Last week, Jaguar Land Rover axed 450 white-collar jobs, including 300 managers, in order to "help address the immediate challenges posed by the credit crunch". The company, which employs 15,000 staff in the UK, said remaining managers would not receive bonuses in 2009 or a pay rise until October at the earliest.
The
company
has
appealed
for
Government
help
in
easing
liquidity
issues,
but
an
agreement
is
yet
to
be
struck.
The
Society
of
Motor
Manufacturers
and
Traders
has
called
for
"swift
action"
from
the
Government
to
support
the
industry
after
reporting
that
new
car
sales
fell
by
over
20
percent
in
December
because
of
a
lack
of
credit
and
confidence
among
consumers.
OneIndia News (With inputs from Agencies)