JLR to Invest Billions in Electric Vehicle Development

Jaguar Land Rover plans to invest 15 billion pounds (A$28 billion) in electric vehicle programs over the next five years to become a modern luxury car maker by 2030.

JLR’s Halewood plant in the UK’s Merseyside will become an all-electric manufacturing facility as part of the plan. Its engine manufacturing centre in Wolverhampton will be renamed the Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre, Tata Motors Ltd. which owns JLR.

“This investment enables us to deliver our modern luxury electric future, developing new skills, and reaffirming our commitment to be carbon net zero by 2039,” Adrian Mardell, chief executive of JLR said.

JLR also said stamping facilities that prepare pressed body metalwork for its vehicles would be expanded to play a vital role in the company’s electric future by providing body work for nextgeneration electric cars.

◊ Investment of £15bn over five years in JLR’s industrial footprint, vehicle programmes, autonomous, AI and digital technologies and people skills.

◊ JLR’s Halewood plant in Merseyside, UK, to become an all-electric manufacturing facility.

◊ JLR’s Engine Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton, UK, to be renamed Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre.

◊ The executives at Jaguar Land Rover plan to officially rename the company “JLR” to create a new “house of brands.”

◊ In simple terms, the company will split into four separate brands: Range Rover, Discovery, Defender and Jaguar.

◊ First of three reimagined modern luxury electric Jaguars will be a 4-door GT built in Solihull, UK.

◊ Pre-order books to open for first allelectric Range Rover later this year. .

Editor: Information for this story sourced from MarketWatch, AutoBlog and Jaguar.

JLR will not build its own electric vehicle battery factory, company CEO Adrian Mardell has confirmed.

JLR has been linked with several gigafactory sites across the Midlands and beyond over recent years but has now confirmed it will instead become the “anchor partner” of a planned gigafactory by its parent company, TATA. This factory will be in Europe, but not necessarily in the UK.

An announcement from TATA was imminent, but it is not expected to come on stream for four to five years.

JLR advised that agreements are in place with luxury battery suppliers until TATA’s plant is up and running and that battery supply will not be a reason for missing targeted sale dates for the first electric models.

Barbara Bergmeier, JLR’s executive director for industrial operations, confirmed this battery supply was mainly from one supplier and the contract had been signed. Further supply agreements could be reached to bridge the gap until the TATA factory ramps up. She added that the decision on where TATA builds its gigafactory would have no impact on the future production locations of JLR models.

While TATA would build cells for JLR models with chemistry and technology co-developed between JLR and TATA, battery packs themselves for JLR cars would be built at its Hams Hall plant, with further sites possible, according to Bergmeier, depending on where the TATA plant is located.

JLR was cash positive and profitable in the past quarter, and its general financial trend and position was continually improving, reducing debt (it is now below £3 billion for the first time in three years) and freeing up money for more investments, with a goal of being net cash positive by 2025. .

Editor: Information for this story sourced from AutoCar.