Jaguar Land Rover is set to establish itself as one of the world’s leading makers of electric vehicles by converting its historic Castle Bromwich plant into a specialist EV production centre.
According to sources, three new pure-electric models will be rolling off the production lines by the end of next year to join the existing electric Jaguar I-Pace in showrooms.
The move is part of a major £1 billion investment in both Castle Bromwich and JLR’s factory in Solihull. Both are set to be massively overhauled in preparation for the British manufacturer’s new Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) platform.
Despite relatively poor sales last year (the company sold 161,601 units, down 10% on the 2018), Jaguar is also getting a significant boost in the form of two new flagship models.
JLR has already confirmed that the replacement for the Jaguar XJ luxury saloon will be a battery-electric model. However, it’s understood that Castle Bromwich will also produce two more vehicles, both crossovers. Land Rover’s upcoming ‘Road Rover’ will be sold as a pure EV, while the new Jaguar J-Pace flagship will also be built at the plant as an EV.
All three new models are based on the MLA platform, which can be configured with three different types of drivetrain: battery-electric, plug-in hybrid and conventional internal combustion engine.
Insiders say the Jaguar I-Pace will continue to be built on its unique platform in Austria and have a “normal lifespan”.
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With various commentators
With various commentators oddly predicting the demise or sell-off of Jaguar, it doesn't seem occur to them that as technology, engines and platforms are largley merged with Land Rover the brand is not in any danger of demise. It is still known internationally and has as much awareness in North America as it does in Europe, if not more, as the Americans are not as tribal as Europeans when it comes to luxury brands. Local assembly in China has helped raise the awareness of the brand over there, but they were admittedly late to the party with that strategy. The trend towards SUVs was always going to favour LR over Jaguar, but the presence of Jaguar SUVs is helping to keep the brand in the eyes of new customer groups. The gradual electrification of Jaguar cars will see them become a real competitor for Tesla and the rest in the US and China, so it seems like a sensible strategy. As for Brexit, it is no surprise that JLR decided on a Eurozone factory in a cheap-labour region well before Brexit was a thing, as most of its competitors build in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Spain and elsewhere. All JLR needs now is an SUV factory in the USA, just like BMW, Mercedes, etc...
If they are refitting Castle
If they are refitting Castle Brom for electric cars then it sounds like they will either kill off the XE and XF or move them to Slovakia.
Personally id wind up the XE first and see how the XF then gets on. Gut feeling is they may recover some sales.
It is somewhat ironic that
It is somewhat ironic that while Jaguar tries to reinvent itself as a global brand, or more specifically a European brand (cf. the rather generic European styling of many of its models), Brexiters like to predict and celebrate its British post-Brexit success.
Fine, but even if JLR can survive Brexit can it survive coronavirus? Again the incompetent UK government refuses to tackle coronavirus the continental way and instead spoke of 'herd immunity' and some such based on poor science, as if it was a point of patriotic honour to do things in a uniquely British, ie. anti-European, way. That sent the pound tumbling. The government's U-turn might have come too late with infected cases and death toll rising. If the situation is out of control its hard to imagine what the British & the world's post-corona economy is going to be like. If Brexit doesn't kill off JLR cornavirus might.