Jaguar Land Rover boss David Smith has stepped down, the West Midlands-based car maker announced.

The chief executive’s departure comes after talks between union bosses and Jaguar Land Rover stalled following a failure between the two parties to reach an agreement over workers’ pay and conditions.

But the company – now part of Indian group Tata Motors – said Mr Smith’s exit was not linked to the breakdown of discussions.

A spokesman for the company said: “We are disappointed the discussions ended without agreement, but his departure is not linked to the talks.”

Jaguar Land Rover is planning to make changes to pay and pensions for new starters, but talks with unions broke down after six days of discussions last week.

The group said director Ravi Kant had taken over from Mr Smith on an interim basis until a permanent successor is appointed.

The firm remained tight-lipped on the details of his departure, saying only that “it’s a confidential matter between him and the company”.