Halewood Body & Assembly
Encyclopedia
Halewood Body & Assembly is a Jaguar Land Rover
production facility based in Halewood
, Merseyside
, England.
Halewood was originally opened by the Ford Motor Company
on 2 October 1963 to build the then small-saloon sized Ford Anglia. Reflecting pressure on Ford of Britain's principal plant at Dagenham
, the Halewood plant was also used for assembling the Ford Corsair
between the model's 1964 launch and 1969.
More recently the Halewood plant has been associated with the Ford Escort - which replaced the Anglia in 1967. In the 1980s/90s Halewood was developed to become, (until 1998 along with Saarlouis
), Ford's main Europe
an production facility for the Escort and derivative Ford Orion
model: the Escort model was phased out by Ford only in 2000.
In 1997 Ford announced plans to replace the Escort with the more radically styled Ford Focus. Furthermore Ford of Europe announced European production of the Focus would only be carried out at Saarlouis
, Germany
and Valencia, Spain
fuelling rumours that Halewood was due to be closed by Ford. However Jaguar Cars - owned at the time by Ford, were developing a new mid-size saloon model which was loosely based on the Ford Mondeo
. Ford decided production of this new model - the Jaguar X-Type
, would commence at Halewood from 2001 onwards.
In 2007 Halewood commenced production of the second generation Land Rover Freelander
model and a dirt track to test facility has been constructed at Halewood specifically for the Freelander.
In March 2008 the Ford finalised a deal to sell Jaguar and Land Rover and to Tata Motors
- part of the Indian based Tata Group
and one of the world's largest manufacturers of commercial vehicle
s.
On 15 July 2009 Jaguar Land Rover announced that it would cease production of the X-Type at the end of 2009, with the loss of 300 jobs, and have a three-week shut down, at Halewood, between September and December of that year. On 11 March 2010, the UK Government announced a £27 million grant to be made available to Jaguar Land Rover for the production of the all-new model Range Rover Evoque, subject to the conditions that the LRX is manufactured at Halewood.
Jaguar Land Rover
Jaguar Land Rover is a British automotive company owned by Tata Motors of India. It develops, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Jaguar and Land Rover marques.-History:...
production facility based in Halewood
Halewood
Halewood is in Merseyside, England and is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley. The district lies near Liverpool's southeastern boundary, bordered by the suburbs of Hunts Cross and Woolton....
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, England.
Halewood was originally opened by the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
on 2 October 1963 to build the then small-saloon sized Ford Anglia. Reflecting pressure on Ford of Britain's principal plant at Dagenham
Ford Dagenham assembly plant
Ford Dagenham is a major automotive factory located in Dagenham, United Kingdom operated by the Ford of Europe subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company...
, the Halewood plant was also used for assembling the Ford Corsair
Ford Corsair
The Ford Consul Corsair, manufactured by Ford Motor Company in the United Kingdom, was a midsize car introduced at the London Motor Show in October 1963 and available as either a saloon or estate from 1964 until 1970...
between the model's 1964 launch and 1969.
More recently the Halewood plant has been associated with the Ford Escort - which replaced the Anglia in 1967. In the 1980s/90s Halewood was developed to become, (until 1998 along with Saarlouis
Saarlouis Body & Assembly
The Ford Saarlouis body and assembly plant is a major car plant located on the western edge of Saarlouis in the German Saarland. It belongs to Ford of Germany, the German subsidiary of the American automaker Ford Motor Company.-Origins:...
), Ford's main Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an production facility for the Escort and derivative Ford Orion
Ford Orion
The Ford Orion is a saloon car built by the automaker Ford for the European market from 22 July 1983 until 19 September 1993. A total of 3,534,239 Orions were sold throughout the car's 10-year life....
model: the Escort model was phased out by Ford only in 2000.
In 1997 Ford announced plans to replace the Escort with the more radically styled Ford Focus. Furthermore Ford of Europe announced European production of the Focus would only be carried out at Saarlouis
Saarlouis
Saarlouis is a city in the Saarland, Germany, capital of the district of Saarlouis. In 2006, the town had a population of 38,327. Saarlouis, as the name implies, is located at the river Saar....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Valencia, Spain
Ford Valencia Plant
The Ford Valencia assembly plant is a major car assembly plant located at Almussafes on the southern edge of the Valencia conurbation.-Origins:In 1973 the Ford Motor Company headed by Henry Ford II purchased of orchard on the edge of Valencia. Exactly 1,000 days later, on 18 October 1976, the...
fuelling rumours that Halewood was due to be closed by Ford. However Jaguar Cars - owned at the time by Ford, were developing a new mid-size saloon model which was loosely based on the Ford Mondeo
Ford Mondeo
The Mondeo was launched on 8 January 1993, and sales began on 22 March 1993. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk...
. Ford decided production of this new model - the Jaguar X-Type
Jaguar X-Type
The X-Type is a compact executive car manufactured and marketed for model years 2001-2009 by Jaguar Cars. The smallest of the Jaguar model range, the X-type was marketed in saloon and wagon variants and was the only estate ever manufactured in series production by the company...
, would commence at Halewood from 2001 onwards.
In 2007 Halewood commenced production of the second generation Land Rover Freelander
Land Rover Freelander
The Land Rover Freelander is a compact crossover SUV made by Land Rover.The current generation is sold as the LR2 in North America and as the Freelander 2 in Europe...
model and a dirt track to test facility has been constructed at Halewood specifically for the Freelander.
In March 2008 the Ford finalised a deal to sell Jaguar and Land Rover and to Tata Motors
Tata Motors
Tata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Mumbai, India. Part of the Tata Group, it was formerly known as TELCO...
- part of the Indian based Tata Group
Tata Group
Tata Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Tata Group is one of the largest companies in India by market capitalization and revenue. It has interests in communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy,...
and one of the world's largest manufacturers of commercial vehicle
Commercial vehicle
A commercial vehicle is a type of motor vehicle that may be used for transporting goods or passengers. The European Union defines "commercial motor vehicle" as any motorised road vehicle, which by its type of construction and equipment is designed for, and capable of transporting, whether for...
s.
On 15 July 2009 Jaguar Land Rover announced that it would cease production of the X-Type at the end of 2009, with the loss of 300 jobs, and have a three-week shut down, at Halewood, between September and December of that year. On 11 March 2010, the UK Government announced a £27 million grant to be made available to Jaguar Land Rover for the production of the all-new model Range Rover Evoque, subject to the conditions that the LRX is manufactured at Halewood.