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Jaguar Land Rover won't get a bailout from the UK

Bailout talks between Jaguar Land Rover and Tata Steel with the UK government have ended, leaving both firms to rely on private financing to overcome the impact of coronavirus on business, the Financial Times reported on Friday. The report said that talks for an emergency funding fell through as Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) did not qualify for taxpayer support. It is the luxury car unit of India's Tata Motors and Tata Steel, both owned by Indian conglomerate Tata Group. The bailout plan, titled "Project Birch", had been authorized by Finance Minister Rishi Sunak in May to rescue companies that are seen as strategically important, with the Treasury saying it may step in to support crucial businesses on a "last resort" basis after other options run out. The report, citing a source familiar with the matter, said that the funding scheme became infeasible for Tata as it imposed strict conditions on any lending. "Tata Steel remains in ongoing and constructive talks with the UK Government on areas of potential support," Tata Steel said in an emailed statement. The UK Treasury said it would not comment on individual companies. Tata Motors did not immediately respond to request for comment. Related Video: Earnings/Financials Government/Legal Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover building new Special Vehicle Operations facility

It's only been a couple of months since Jaguar Land Rover announced the formation of its new Special Operations division, and we've already seen a number of vehicles to come out of it. But now the British automaker has announced a new facility that will house its elite skunkworks department.
Set to be built at Prologis Park in Ryton, England, on the outskirts of Coventry, the new Special Vehicle Operations Technical Centre will encompass dedicated production lines, F1-style flexible workshops, a dedicated paint studio and VIP suite for commissioning bespoke projects. JLR will spend some $33 million on the facility that will be home to 150 specialists - 100 of them being new hires.
The first project which the Special Operations division is working on is the F-Type Project 7, but we've already seen more projects in the pipeline - including the upcoming Range Rover Sport SVR - and you can bet there'll be more. The revival of the Lightweight E-Type also falls under Special Operations, but is undertaken by the Jaguar Heritage department located nearby at Browns Lane.

Jaguar Land Rover and Chery investing in Chinese plant

While the European auto market for Jaguar and Land Rover is waning, Chinese car buyers can't get enough of the British marques. To meet that demand, Tata Motors, parent company of Jag and Land Rover, is partnering with Chinese automaker Chery Automobile Co.
The two announced plans to invest $1.75 billion to build a new plant and create a new, China-focused brand. 2014 is the target for completion of the factory. Jaguars and Land Rovers built at the facility will be the first ever produced outside the UK according to the Associated Press. The JV will be called Chery Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Company Ltd.
The announcement comes less than a month after JLR announced it would open a design studio in China. It's not clear from the reports whether the two announcements are part of the same JV or two separate plans.