Jaguar Land Rover, which was recently renamed JLR, is investing £15bn over five years in producing EVs, including its first UK-made battery car.
The company has revealed that its Halewood plant in Merseyside will become an all-electric manufacturing facility, while its Engine Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton will be renamed the Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre.
In positive news for the future of its historic Castle Bromwich site, JLR confirmed that its stamping facilities that prepare pressed body metalwork for JLR’s vehicles will be expanded to play a key role in the company’s electric future, by providing body work for next-generation EVs. The company added that it continues to explore options for other parts of the Castle Bromwich site.
Its first UK-made electric car will be a £100,000 Jaguar four-door GT, built at its flagship Solihull site, and available in 2025.
JLR’s CEO Adrian Mardell reaffirmed the business’s commitment to its Reimagine strategy, which aims to reposition the company as an electric-first, modern luxury carmaker by 2030.
“I am proud to announce we are accelerating our electrification path, making one of our UK plants and our next-generation medium-size luxury SUV architecture fully electric. This investment enables us to deliver to our modern luxury electric future, developing new skills, and reaffirming our commitment to be carbon net zero by 2039,” he said.
While EVs are made for the European market, JLR said it will retain the option to offer ICE, hybrid and BEV vehicles in other markets “that are moving at different speeds towards carbon net zero targets”.
