Jaguar, Land Rover to Move North American Headquarters

Jaguar Land Rover North America LLC says it will relocate its North American headquarters from Irvine, CA, to Mahwah, NJ, by year’s end.

The auto maker, which on June 2 was sold by Ford Motor Co. to India’s Tata Motors Ltd., says the move has been in the works for a while.

“We’ve known for some time, way before the sale to Tata, that the company was considering relocating,” says spokesman Tim Watson. “It has nothing whatsoever to do with new ownership.”

Mike O’Driscoll, Jaguar managing director, says the move makes business sense, as the auto maker’s original headquarters were in New Jersey, and its customer care, parts and service operations still are housed there. The auto maker moved its sales and marketing operations to Irvine in 2001.

“We have been looking at consolidating our organization, as it makes perfect business sense to have Jaguar and Land Rover back at its original location in New Jersey,” O’Driscoll says in a statement.

“This relocation will make our North American operation more efficient by bringing everyone together in one location, as well as reducing the current time zones between our U.S. headquarters and the U.K.,” he says.

The auto maker says it has offered all 50 staffers in Irvine the option to relocate to New Jersey.