2:58 pm, November 2, 2023
JLR has today apologised to customers and dealers who have been affected by crippling parts shortages which have wiped thousands of cars off the road.
Car Dealer exclusively reported last month that as many as 10,000 vehicles were awaiting new parts, half of which were being hoarded up at dealerships across the country.
Yesterday we also brought you the news that the firm has been accused of of using second-hand parts in an attempt to clear huge backlog.
Speaking today (Nov 2) after the publication of JLR’s latest results, CEO Adrian Mardell said the firm is ‘really unhappy’ about the delays.
Autocar reports that the worst delays are stemming from the British outfit’s new parts logistics hub in Leicestershire.
Mardell told reporters: ‘It was a planned transition but the transition is taking longer than we would originally have planned.
‘Just to be clear, that’s something that nobody wished for, and that’s something that, as an organisation with our partner we’re working with here, we obviously have responsibility for the change.’
The former CFO went on to say that the delays are ‘something we do need to apologise for, as well’.
He added: ‘To be very, very clear, this is something we are really unhappy about, and just like the challenges with vehicles being stolen, this is something right at the top of this organisation, and right at the top of our partner organisation [Unipart Logistics] as well.’
The ‘significant parts shortage’ was addressed at a summit with the dealership network, held at the British Motor Museum on October 5, where attendees were told the problem wouldn’t get any better for at least another six weeks.
At the event – details of which were leaked to Car Dealer – UK client care director Andrew Woolliscroft admitted the issue is currently seriously impacting the car manufacturer, its dealers and its customers.
He told attendees that between the manufacturer and its dealer partners some 5,000 UK Jaguar Land Rover customers are currently driving courtesy cars because their cars are off the road awaiting parts.
‘We’ve run out of cars to put clients into and we’ve run out of space to park the cars waiting on parts,’ he told the conference.
‘We’ve nearly stopped our workshops from being able to operate and it’s unacceptable.’
Among the dealers to be affected by the issue is Tom Hartley, who has had two Land Rover Defenders off the road for parts for four months.
He described the situation was ‘disgusting’ and called for a swift solution.
A JLR spokesman told Car Dealer last month: ‘As we deliver our commitment to become carbon net zero across our supply chain, products, and operations by 2039, we are streamlining parts distribution from multiple locations to one global super centre.
‘This transition has unfortunately caused some temporary delays to the delivery of parts to our retailers.
‘We are working closely with our distribution partner, Unipart, to quickly resolve the issue and ensure the service returns to normal as soon as possible for our clients.’
