By Courtney Baird
Automaker Jaguar Land Rover North America is moving its headquarters from Irvine back to northern New Jersey, according to a report in Automotive News.
The word comes a week after Tata Motors Ltd. of India finalized its $2.3 billion acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover from Ford Motor Co, which used to have the U.S. headquarters of its Premier Automotive Group in Irvine.
The company told Automotive News that the move would allow the company’s U.S. operations to be closer to Britain, where Jaguar and Land Rovers are built, as well as to India.
The move is another in a line of recent departures. In March, Ford said it would be moving Volvo’s U.S. headquarters from Irvine to New Jersey.
A few years back, Ford moved Lincoln Mercury’s headquarters from Irvine back to its original headquarters in the Detroit area.
Jaguar Land Rover employs about 50 people in Irvine. The company said in a statement to Automotive News that it would give these employees the option to relocate to New Jersey.
