Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram is set to travel to India later this month for talks with bosses at Tata Motors, the parent company of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), over the long-term future of the firm's Halewood plant.

The trip follows JLR's unveiling of its new all-electric Type 01 vehicle, which will be partly manufactured at the Knowsley factory. Rotheram said his aim was to secure JLR's presence in the region for another 50 years, calling the company "an integral part of the ecosystem".

Jaguar revealed the new car in New York, nearly two years after a rebrand of the marque drew widespread ridicule. Rotheram described the current period as a pivotal one for the company, noting it had endured "difficult moments" since a cyber-attack disrupted operations. "They've bounced back, but not quite as much as we hoped," he said, pointing to pressures from tariffs and growing competition from Chinese manufacturers.

Despite the challenges, Rotheram said being given an early look at the new model during a factory visit in December had been "a huge thrill".

JLR has described the Type 01 as the most technically advanced, powerful and aerodynamic Jaguar it has ever engineered, and said building the car in Britain underlined its ongoing commitment to UK manufacturing, innovation and skills. The vehicle, due to enter production in 2027, is a four-door "Grand Tourer" featuring a long bonnet that evokes the look of Jaguar's classic 1960s E-Type.

The new model will not come cheap, carrying a starting price of £130,000. Asked about the cost, Rotheram joked: "That's why I haven't got one!" He added that plenty of buyers would be able to afford it, saying: "Somebody can afford it, can't they? They're not making it for a laugh!"

The announcement comes against a difficult backdrop for the carmaker. A cyber-attack on JLR earlier this year was blamed for pushing UK car production to its lowest September level in 70 years. The company's broader image troubles began with the controversial rebrand that attracted mockery when it was first revealed.

Rotheram's planned visit to Tata Motors reflects the scale of JLR's importance to the Liverpool City Region economy, with the Halewood site long regarded as a major employer and manufacturing hub. The mayor's office has not detailed further specifics of the India talks, but the trip is expected to focus on reinforcing investment commitments tied to the Type 01 and the plant's future workload.

Source: BBC

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