Jaguar Land Rover announced plans to accelerate its transition to become the world’s leading modern luxury car manufacturer revealing its Halewood plant, in the UK, will become an all-electric production facility and its next generation medium-size SUV architecture, electrified modular architecture (EMA), will now be pure-electric.
In an update to global media at JLR’s center in Gaydon, Chief Executive Adrian Mardell reaffirmed the business’s commitment to its Reimagine strategy, which will reposition the company as an electric-first, modern luxury carmaker by 2030, as JLR makes strides towards its financial goals of achieving a net cash positive position by FY25 and double-digit EBIT by 2026.
“Two years ago, we launched our Reimagine strategy and since then we have made great progress, including launching two new critically acclaimed modern luxury Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models, joining the Defender family, for which there is record demand. We achieved this while navigating the headwinds of the pandemic and chip shortages, and successfully ramping up production of our most profitable models to deliver profit in Q3. Today 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 our modern luxury electric future, developing new skills, and reaffirming our commitment to be net zero carbon by 2039,” said Adrian Mardell Chief Executive Officer.
Investing in next generation electric models
Announcing news of its next generation electrification roadmap, JLR confirmed it will begin accepting early orders for the modern luxury all-electric Range Rover from later this year. The first of its next generation medium-size modern luxury SUVs will be an all-electric model from the Range Rover family, launching in 2025 and built at Halewood in Merseyside, in a move that further affirms JLR’s commitment to the future of the UK car industry.
And while EMA will now be electric only, as the trend to electrification in certain markets increases, JLR will retain the flexible modular longitudinal architecture (MLA) on which Range Rover and Range Rover Sport are built offering internal combustion engine (ICE), HYBRID and battery electric vehicle (BEV) options. This gives JLR uncompromised flexibility to adapt its vehicle line up to meet the needs of different markets around the world, that are moving at different speeds towards net zero carbon targets.
House of Brands
As a next step within the Reimagine strategy, it was revealed JLR will move to a House of Brands approach, to amplify the unique character of each of its brands – Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar – and accelerate the delivery of the company’s vision, to become proud creators of the world’s most desirable modern luxury automotive brands for the most discerning clients.
JLR also announced that the first of three reimagined modern luxury Jaguar vehicles will be a 4-door GT built in Solihull in the West Midlands, UK. With power output more than any previous Jaguar, a range up to 430 miles (700 kms), and with indicative pricing from £100,000, new Jaguar will be built on its own unique architecture, named JEA. More details of the new 4-door GT Jaguar will be released later this year, before going on sale in selected markets in 2024, for client deliveries in 2025.
Investing in JLR’s UK industrial footprint
In addition to the news that its Halewood plant in Merseyside, UK, will become an all-electric production facility and its next generation medium-size SUV architecture, electrified modular architecture (EMA), will now be pure-electric. JLR also revealed its Engine Manufacturing Center in Wolverhampton, UK, currently producing Ingenium internal combustion engines for its vehicles, will have an electric future producing electric drive units and battery packs for JLR’s next generation vehicles. It will be renamed the Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Center to reflect the move.
In positive news for the future of the 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 electric vehicles. JLR continues to explore options for other parts of the Castle Bromwich site.
