Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France

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Mon 11 Jan 2021 23:36
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - Warning

"..... billionaire Jim Ratcliffe moved to Monaco while also deciding to build his Land Rover successor in France instead of Wales – all after supporting Brexit. " (Private Eye)

I respect people who voted either Leave or Remain, but it is disappointing those businessmen who supported Brexit, such as Mr Jim Ratcliffe, who should be supporting Britain are instead deciding to invest their money in other countries. Why not build those vehicles in Swindon, to make up for lost Honda jobs?

Private Eye Issue 1538
www.private-eye.co.uk/columnists

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Tue 12 Jan 2021 00:47
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - edlithgow

Ah, but in bizniz, as opposed to populist politics, there;s that stuff called REALITY

...and I was feeling guilty about buying a Chinese Charger.

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Tue 12 Jan 2021 06:23
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - daveyK_UK
Got a cheap factory from the French government with plenty of subsidies

French staff will cost a lot more long term especially when it comes to redundancies but no one goes into business thinking of the cost of eventual failure
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Tue 12 Jan 2021 09:05
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - craig-pd130

Politicians, and the million/billionaires who support and fund their parties, saying one thing, yet doing another? Like Captain Renaud in Casablanca, I'm shocked. Shocked.

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Tue 12 Jan 2021 09:15
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - Andrew-T

Not only all that, but large-scale tax avoidance comes into it too.

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Tue 12 Jan 2021 09:36
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - Steveieb
Jim Ratcliff should consider the name Deserter for the name for the new car instead of Grenadier !
The problem with building in Honda s Swindon factory is that they are ahead of the curve in realising the future is hybrid or electric! Which they can build more efficiently in one factory in Japan .
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Tue 12 Jan 2021 09:49
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - RT
Jim Ratcliff should consider the name Deserter for the name for the new car instead of Grenadier ! The problem with building in Honda s Swindon factory is that they are ahead of the curve in realising the future is hybrid or electric! Which they can build more efficiently in one factory in Japan .

Since Japan concluded a tariff-free trade agreement with the EU, since mirrored by one with the UK, there's no advantage building Japanese cars in the UK or the EU - and many advantages to building in Japan - this isn't a Brexit issue, as it would be the same in or out.

The Grenadier was intended to be built in Wales but when Mercedes-Benz decided to shut the Smart factory in France and sell it cheap, it was a no-brainer for Jim Ratcliffe to use it.

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Tue 12 Jan 2021 10:01
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - dan86
Jim Ratcliff should consider the name Deserter for the name for the new car instead of Grenadier ! The problem with building in Honda s Swindon factory is that they are ahead of the curve in realising the future is hybrid or electric! Which they can build more efficiently in one factory in Japan .

Since Japan concluded a tariff-free trade agreement with the EU, since mirrored by one with the UK, there's no advantage building Japanese cars in the UK or the EU - and many advantages to building in Japan - this isn't a Brexit issue, as it would be the same in or out.

The Grenadier was intended to be built in Wales but when Mercedes-Benz decided to shut the Smart factory in France and sell it cheap, it was a no-brainer for Jim Ratcliffe to use it.

Maybe all the people who voted for brexit can show him what they think and not buy his car. I've seen on Facebook a brexit group who are telling all its followers to buy British and I have no objections to that what so ever but you have some of the members of the group asking where they can buy British bannans or British spices for their currys.

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Tue 12 Jan 2021 10:24
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - RT
Jim Ratcliff should consider the name Deserter for the name for the new car instead of Grenadier ! The problem with building in Honda s Swindon factory is that they are ahead of the curve in realising the future is hybrid or electric! Which they can build more efficiently in one factory in Japan .

Since Japan concluded a tariff-free trade agreement with the EU, since mirrored by one with the UK, there's no advantage building Japanese cars in the UK or the EU - and many advantages to building in Japan - this isn't a Brexit issue, as it would be the same in or out.

The Grenadier was intended to be built in Wales but when Mercedes-Benz decided to shut the Smart factory in France and sell it cheap, it was a no-brainer for Jim Ratcliffe to use it.

Maybe all the people who voted for brexit can show him what they think and not buy his car. I've seen on Facebook a brexit group who are telling all its followers to buy British and I have no objections to that what so ever but you have some of the members of the group asking where they can buy British bannans or British spices for their currys.

The could buy a British LR Defender built in Slovakia !!!

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Tue 12 Jan 2021 16:36
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - SLO76
“ The Grenadier was intended to be built in Wales but when Mercedes-Benz decided to shut the Smart factory in France and sell it cheap, it was a no-brainer for Jim Ratcliffe to use it.”

Nail on the head.

I wanted to stay in the EU and If I could use this to beat the Brexit mob over the head with I would. But this was a simple business decision largely made in favour of an existing plant and a skilled local workforce. That it retained guaranteed easy tariff free access to the far larger EU market was secondary to a new manufacturer with limited means.
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Thu 14 Jan 2021 09:27
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - edlithgow
. That it retained guaranteed easy tariff free access to the far larger EU market was secondary to a new manufacturer with limited means.

Secondary but probably still relevant, and not quite consistent with the protagonists political position.

I don't have a problem with the bizniz decision, which was realistic. I do have a problem with the politics, which wasn't.

Plus it has cost me a big chunk of the value of my savings,

As has been said, we vote with our pockets, though I didn't get a vote. .

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Tue 12 Jan 2021 10:48
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - Sofa Spud

As a hardcore utilitarian off-roader, won't the main competitor for the Ineos Grenadier be refurbished Land Rover Defenders that would cost much less?

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Tue 12 Jan 2021 11:25
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - Terry W

This is old news.

Ratcliffe started negotiations in July 2020 and signed a deal in early December 2020. At which time it was completely uncertain what post Brexit arrangement would look like.

Do you build cars in a market with 300m people or 60m. In a subsidised factory with existing employees or in a new build site. In business it's no contest.

Although more £££ he has done precisely the same as most of us do every day. We vote with our pockets, not with our concience.

We buy Chinese etc, not UK, mainly on the basis of price. We regret the closure of UK manufacturing capacity and skilled jobs, yet do little or nothing tp protect them. We deserve what we get!

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Tue 12 Jan 2021 12:44
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - sammy1

The original market plan for the car was no showrooms or fixed base servicing by the company. The idea was collection or delivery to customer direct from the factory. The service back up is 3rd party like say Halfords and roaming breakdown cover. This in itself does not give you much confidence as regards responsibility for warranty and "inhouse" expertise. Where for instance will they source back up parts? Whether this will change is any ones guess

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Tue 12 Jan 2021 13:17
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - alan1302

Because someone thought we should leave the EU then their company should only build things in the UK? Why would that be?

It's very easy for someone to want to leave the EU but at the same time happy to do business with the EU and indeed actually build products there.

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Tue 12 Jan 2021 13:19
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - alan1302

Where for instance will they source back up parts? Whether this will change is any ones guess

I'd expect the 3rd party would souce parts from the factory for specific part and be able to use generic items for everything else.

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Tue 12 Jan 2021 13:58
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - Andrew-T

We buy Chinese etc, not UK, mainly on the basis of price. We deserve what we get!

For many of our purchases there is no truly British option any more. One thing we might do however is to be more choosy with our weekly grocery shop. The problem is that we are all accustomed to getting foreign-grown fruit and veg all year round, and it's a hard habit to break. Just now we should be living on spuds, sprouts, cabbage, root veg, apples and porridge, but most of us prefer bananas and oranges. We could look for home grown instead of imported in some things, e.g broccoli ?

Foreign food is so much more interesting and has cachet.

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Tue 12 Jan 2021 21:27
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - focussed

Cost much less? Like these?

www.twistedautomotive.com/current-stock/

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Tue 12 Jan 2021 23:45
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - Avant

I wouldn't want to bet any money on the Grenadier's succeeding. As a new brand, and without the LR image and status (whether or not deserved), it would need to undercut the Defender by some margin to be of interest to farmers.....which presumably isn't viable as I think I saw a proposed list price in the high £40,000s.

Apparently Sir Jim named the Grenadier after his favourite London pub. Good thing he didn't favour the Slug and Lettuce.

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Wed 13 Jan 2021 13:25
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - alan1302

I wouldn't want to bet any money on the Grenadier's succeeding. As a new brand, and without the LR image and status (whether or not deserved), it would need to undercut the Defender by some margin to be of interest to farmers.....which presumably isn't viable as I think I saw a proposed list price in the high £40,000s.

Is the car going to be a mainstream car to be sold as a working vehicle or is it a premium car and so can be sold for more?

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Wed 13 Jan 2021 14:37
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - mickyh7

To be fair JLR have so many quality issues with their products they have become a bit of a joke.

EML lights appearing on test drives, breaking down on their first journey from collection.

I read lots of old customers have left the brand and moved elsewhere.

They must have the busiest workshops in the country doing warranty work.

They are learning the hard way!

Lots of better manufacturers out there.

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Wed 13 Jan 2021 15:49
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - Andrew-T

They must have the busiest workshops in the country doing warranty work. They are learning the hard way!

Are they ? All the negative reports suggest the lesson is not sinking in.

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Wed 13 Jan 2021 15:06
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - Avant

"Is the car going to be a mainstream car to be sold as a working vehicle or is it a premium car and so can be sold for more?"

That of course is the crucial question. To be the latter it would need an existing reputation which it hasn't got. The former has been done by the likes of Kia/Hyundai and Skoda, who've since moved upmarket successfully, and by Dacia, who will I imagine stay as Renault's value brand. Jeep could have done it witht he Wrangler, but it's much too expensive.

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Wed 13 Jan 2021 15:28
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - mickyh7

We had a Range Rover as a pool car last year. It was 2 wheel drive, 2 litre engine.

Decked in acres of plastic which felt really cheap to the touch.

The Cream Leather seats looked like Faux Leather. It was very noisy and felt like you were driving a Ford Mondeo. It shouldn't have!

Constantly showing TPM lights or some other EML.

No one at work enjoyed driving it.

Most people said "It just didn't feel special".

For the RRP It should have done.

Replaced with an Audi now.

Edited by mickyh7 on 13/01/2021 at 18:09

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Sat 16 Jan 2021 22:54
Brexiter to build Land Rover successor in France - Metropolis.

Not surprised you felt it was like a Ford Mondeo, it is based on the same Ford platform as the mk3 Ford Mondeo, the EUCD platform. If you google the platform it will come up with freelander 2 and contemporary volvos, but going up to 2017ish the Ewok was on what JLR call their D8 platform, which is actually just a heavily revised EUCD platform... Even I would call those things junk.

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