Ineos billionaire reportedly plans to build Land Rover Defender rival at Ford factory, saving 1,100 jobs

Chemical company Ineos is reportedly in talks with Ford to build its proposed Land Rover Defender rival at the car manufacturer’s Bridgend site.

It is proposing to use the portion of the of the Bridgend facility currently occupied by Jaguar Land Rover to assemble the Defender, according to a report citing three people close to the talks.

The news, reported by the Financial Times, comes after Jaguar Land Rover announced in September last year that it would be ending its contract for engines produced at Ford’s Bridgend facility in 2020 – risking 1,100 jobs.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the UK’s richest person and owner of Ineos, announced plans in July 2016 to produce a car "in the spirit of" the Land Rover Defender after JLR stopped producing it because the model could not keep up with low emissions rules.

Speculation has since gathered over where the production site will be based.

Production of the Defender-style vehicle is expected to begin in 2020, according to FT.

The exact amount that will be invested in the project, and the number of cars Ineos plans to make, have not yet been confirmed.

A spokesperson at Ford said: “While Ford Bridgend Engine Plant has a long-established and successful record in the delivery of world-class engines, the auto industry is undergoing rapid change and, together with our union partners, we continue to look at other high-technology opportunities for the future.”

Ineos declined to comment.