Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) on Friday revealed plans to manufacture a range of new electrified vehicles at its manufacturing plant in Castle Bromwich which entails investment of hundreds of millions of pounds.
The first new electric car to be produced at the plant will be Jaguar’s flagship luxury saloon, the XJ, which has been exported to more than 120 countries.
Ralf Speth, JLR CEO, said: “The future of mobility is electric and, as a visionary British company, we are committed to making our next generation of zero-emission vehicles in the UK”.
The announcement was welcomed by workers unions who protested the company’s January’s announcement of cutting 4,500 jobs. The latest move will secure 2,700 jobs at the plant. The news was confirmed to workers at Castle Bromwich as production of the current XJ came to an end.
The new all-electric model will be created by the same expert team of designers and product development specialists responsible for delivering the world’s first premium electric SUV, and 2019 World Car of the Year, the Jaguar I-PACE, the company said.
Speth added: “Convenience and affordability are the two key enablers to drive the uptake of electric vehicles to the levels that we all need. Charging should be as easy as re-fueling a conventional vehicle”.
{{/usCountry}}Speth added: “Convenience and affordability are the two key enablers to drive the uptake of electric vehicles to the levels that we all need. Charging should be as easy as re-fueling a conventional vehicle”.
{{/usCountry}}“Affordability will only be achieved if we make batteries here in the UK, close to vehicle production, to avoid the cost and safety risk of importing from abroad”.
JLR said the expansion of its electrified vehicle line up will see customers offered a greater choice of vehicles to suit their lifestyles, but added that increased consumer take-up remains