Jaguar To Stop Production Of Popular X type

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Thu, 16 Jul 2009

Jaguar has announced that production of its X-type saloon is to end later this year in an effort to reduce costs.

Production of the car was initially set to come to a halt in 2010, but the carmaker has brought the date forward due to deteriorating market conditions caused by the global recession.

As a result, up to 300 jobs will be axed at the company’s Halewood plant where the X-type is built, but Jaguar has confirmed all cuts will be carried out through voluntary redundancies .

The Halewood factor will also be subject to a three-week shutdown later this year as part of the company’s plans to cut costs and safeguard its investment .

Jaguar Land Rover CEO David Smith said: "Our industry has been especially badly hit by the recession and the premium sector more than others. Jaguar Land Rover's sales have fallen by 28 per cent in the past 10 months."

"Ceasing production of the X-type early, with further redundancies and temporary shutdowns at Halewood, is necessary to protect our investment plans ."

Launched in 2001 as a rival to cars such as the Audi A4 and the BMW 3 Series, the X-type was the first four-wheel drive Jaguar, and also the first in the luxury carmaker’s history to be available with a diesel engine .

The car has proved a big hit with motorists around the globe, with more than 350,000 units sold to date.