Summary
Britain would not go under if any car company would be allowed to go under.
Analysis
The British motor industry has sadly be going south for the last few decades already.
Jaguar Land Rover had first been kept afloat by government money (British Leyland times), later on they passed into the hands of Ford to finish up in TATA Automotive's ever growing stable of companies. Certainly, TATA is a better home than any home JLR had in the past.
However, Great Britain would not go under if the company JLR were to go under. Brands like Jaguar or Land Rover have been tampered with for decades by unsuccessful owners. Cars have become more and more utilitarian items except the few truly luxury brands like Aston Martins or Ferrari. And neither Jaguar nor Land Rover are in that league.
The automotive industry depends to a large extent on the inventiveness and the risk-taking of components manufacturers nowadays. This industry is going to survive whether there are many car manufacturers in Great Britain or not. It is the components industry that holds a higher number of jobs than the auto assemblers do.
Just look at the Swiss automotive components industry and their world-wide success. There is not a single car assembler operating in Switzerland but companies like Jansen, Rothrist Rohr and many others are dominating their industry from a technology point of view. Subsequently they supply their superior products to all four corners of the globe.
Great Britain is for sure better advised to innovate and develop new approaches than to invest undue amounts in the dying patient that the British car industry in many instances is. By focusing on innovation and the components industry Great Britain shall be able to prosper and continue offering value-added jobs.
