Mr Wheeldon believes Tata owner Ratan Tata will keep investing in JLR for years to come so the company, which has been loss-making for many years, can grow to compete with rivals such as BMW.

He said: “I have been fortunate enough to meet JLR’s senior management and also senior management of both Tata Motors and importantly, Tata Sons (Tata Motors’ parent company).

“I am impressed with all that I have seen. Importantly, and what I would commend to JLR workers most, is that within these guys I see commitment, investment and long-term as opposed to short-term thinking.

“Cash may be king but make no mistake that Tata will back its UK premium product JLR.

“Instead of thinking five years think 10,15 and even 20.

“And if you want proof of what can be done to a company that looks a touch down and out look no further than one of JLR’s big competitors in the form of BMW. Easy to forget that just 50 years ago BMW was all but bust.

“While Daimler Benz was hovering over what looked an interesting prey it took the enterprise and vision of one man – Herbert Quandt – to turn BMW from a seeming walking disaster to the great company that it surely is today.

“Thus I am left to happily conclude that, in the case of JLR, if workers and trade unions give the company the necessary level of support, the vision that Ratan Tata had little more than a year ago really will eventually pay off.”

JLR has yet to decide whether it will close its plant at Castle Bromwich, which makes Jaguars, or its Range Rover site in Solihull.

Halewood was purpose-built in the 1960s by Ford and many of its key suppliers are located around its perimeter, feeding their products straight onto the production line.

It builds Jaguars and Land Rovers on the same hi-tech production line.

Professor Peter Cooke, professor in automotive management at the University of Buckingham, said Halewood’s modern design gave it room to grow, whereas older sites such as Castle Bromwich were less flexible.

He said: “The European car plants which are surviving and growing now are those that have got space.”

alistair.houghton@liverpool.com