22900013A wrote:

people have no choice but to buy what they can afford, and for many, thats not a lot.

... and so it spirals ever downward

It may be 50p cheaper but multiply that by a few million people...

You know that program "Honey, I'm killing the kids"?
Why don't they do "Honey, I'm killing the country" and explain to people what will happen if they keep buying 3 Korean Mobiles every year?

p.s. I'm still thinking about Indian Land Rovers, so I'm not entirely  Tell someone you love them today because life is short.
But shout it at them in German because life is also terrifying and confusing...

22900013A wrote:

Errr, you may well have a point, it may well be a bit xenophobic, but it will still happen. Where are the Indian manufactured cars on todays roads in the UK? Have we ever seen an Indian manufactured car here? The only one I can think of is the Cityrover and we know what happened to the Rover company shortly afterwards. People do not see white goods in the same way as cars, they just aren't the same thing. I'd strongly suggest having a look at what people have to drive in India before saying the Defender will be any better made over there. They drive lorries with wooden cabs still!

I do agree though that JLR has work to do when it comes to QC, look at that JD Power survey thingy...

BigMike wrote:

I don't see the problem. It's owned by an Indian company, and FFS let's face it, build quality certainly couldn't get any worse could it?

BigMike wrote:

22900013A wrote:

Errr, you may well have a point, it may well be a bit xenophobic, but it will still happen. Where are the Indian manufactured cars on todays roads in the UK? Have we ever seen an Indian manufactured car here? The only one I can think of is the Cityrover and we know what happened to the Rover company shortly afterwards. People do not see white goods in the same way as cars, they just aren't the same thing. I'd strongly suggest having a look at what people have to drive in India before saying the Defender will be any better made over there. They drive lorries with wooden cabs still!

I do agree though that JLR has work to do when it comes to QC, look at that JD Power survey thingy...

Oh come on! Toyota, Nissan, Honda - all have Indian Joint ventures. Wake up and smell the new world economy.

I am all for buying British, my current bike is a Triumph for example (oh yes, parts sourced from Japan, assembled in Thailand, finished in Leicester). I shop at our farm shop, avoid all supermarkets apart from Booths who sell local produce, and I don't buy clothes made in the far east. But that's a personal choice to support a local economy, it's irrelevant to me where a defender is made and it's my choice not to buy one. I can however guarantee that despite all the whining and moaning about the DC100, that it will be a bestseller. Don't be a luddite!

ZeDefender wrote:

22900013A wrote:

people have no choice but to buy what they can afford, and for many, thats not a lot.

... and so it spirals ever downward

It may be 50p cheaper but multiply that by a few million people...

You know that program "Honey, I'm killing the kids"?
Why don't they do "Honey, I'm killing the country" and explain to people what will happen if they keep buying 3 Korean Mobiles every year?

p.s. I'm still thinking about Indian Land Rovers, so I'm not entirely

ZeDefender wrote:

I like Morrisons
Doesn't Richard Hammond shop there? Can't get more British than that

22900013A wrote:

ZeDefender wrote:

I like Morrisons
Doesn't Richard Hammond shop there? Can't get more British than that

Yeah they are good. They bake their own bread, only 55p at the mo. Half the price of warburtons.

Mmmmm - "proper" white bread  Tell someone you love them today because life is short.
But shout it at them in German because life is also terrifying and confusing...

davew wrote:

The version I'd heard on the grapevine was not that the "new" defender production was moving to India but that they were moving production of the CURRENT Defender to India when the "New" Defender starts production here.

The Defender as it is now is too expensive and time consuming to make in the UK because UK labour costs are way too high. It's also tied into a very limited development by ever tightening EU and UK red tape that essentially mean the only reason they can keep producing it in it's current form is because they are still using the type approval they got for it in the 80s.

In order to continue to produce the current Defender for markets that wouldn't consider the DC100 as viable for their use (military, third world, people who drive off road etc...) the production is moving to India where labour costs are a LOT cheaper and regulation isn't as restrictive. I assume there will be limited quantities of the "old" Defender then shipped back to the UK in kit form to satisfy the, perceived, niche market here that won't buy the DC100.

JSG wrote:

I'm out there two or three times a year

Well, I suppose if Brits have jobs in India it's not so bad for society  Tell someone you love them today because life is short.
But shout it at them in German because life is also terrifying and confusing...

22900013A wrote:

Their pay is probably so low they can't afford to buy a new car anyway, so they buy a cheap car which will be foreign. Many people have no choice but to buy what they can afford, and for many, thats not a lot.

I have to question this one as UK is going in the same way as many other 3rd world countries... All these people who drive 'cheaper' cars becaue they can't afford anything else also own:

50" Flatscreen TV in the living room, 22" TV in the dinning area, and a 28" TV in the bedroom.
Iphone 4... but only because it was free.... oh, wait a minute, the contract is 24 months at £50!!
Playstation, Xbox 360 and a Wii.
Sky tv (top package).
DVD, Bu-ray player with surround sound.
Smoke 20 cigretes a day.
£1000 laptop with a broadband internet connection.


Apparently standard of living is the the UK is at an all time low, and people can'tafford heating and food What a load of B. I was going down the route of materialistic goods- like having a new phone every 6-12 months, big tv etc. But after having 6 months of no TV, no mobile phone etc,I suddenly realised that all those things just drain money. I no longer own a TV, DVD, games console etc. My mobile phone is 3 years old on Pay as you go. All I have is a laptop and a Ipod. When we get bored we go somewhere, do something- Heck, I could have a pint every night of the week for a couple of years for the same price as most people pay for their TV!!!

I also think it is a wise move by Land Rover- if anything the vehicle will be made in India, shipped to Solihull and then some overpaid Brummie will say " Adjustall those pannels, they line up and there are no huge gaps!!". I can't remember who said to me many years ago (when I was a boy). Land Rover are designed and developed to be the best vehicle in the world........ then they made the mistake of getting a lazy bunch of underachivers to put it together, lol.

Glyn