Amazing how quickly this industry gives and takes. Last Thursday morning Honda announced it was axing 800 jobs in the UK. Just four days later, here at the Detroit motor show, Jaguar Land Rover has announced it is creating a further 800 as part of its ongoing recruitment drive.
Of course, it's not nearly as simple as saying the two balance out, but it does once again underline the growing divide between the haves and the have-nots in the car industry at the moment.
Honda, so proud that it has never previously issued a single compulsory redundancy in Swindon, clearly sees fighting in the middle-market morass of Europe's depressed market with a mediocre product line as leaving it with a long-term problem to overcome.
Jaguar Land Rover, in contrast, clearly feels its time has come. Zeitgeist products like the Evoque and upcoming Jaguar F-Type help, as does a powerful, wealthy backer, but so too does its positioning in the fractious global market.
It's hard to remember a time of such divide, and such an accelerated pace of change. The only certainty is that by the time Europe recovers – something even optimists say is a year away – the car industry will look very different indeed.
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I know that Jaguar Land Rover
I know that Jaguar Land Rover is a business built around two great British car brands that design, engineer and manufacture in the UK
mexican sinks
Product appeal
I agree with artill, the product has to appeal.
A manufacturer has to have a range that attracts buyers in and keeps them. Nissan bucked the traditional segments and forged some niches, with considerable success it seems. Not to everyone's taste, maybe, but that does not seem to stop them selling.
It is really unfortunate re Honda, but I do feel they have not tried hard enough. I used to have a Jazz (04) and liked it very much, but the replacement did not push the right buttons for me, and the Civic had too many compromises I was not prepared to accept, so I left the marque. The service was good though, but that is not quite enough.
JLR only have one plant so
JLR only have ' one plant ', so they can afford to take on more staff. But Honda has to rationalise its workforce around the World.