Jaguar Land Rover CONFIRMS plans for UK electric car production

Jaguar Land Rover confirms plans to build electric cars in the UK at Castle Bromwich, and confirm the first EV will be a new electric Jaguar XJ.

Earlier this week we revealed Jaguar Land Rover will build electric cars in the UK, and that the news would be officially announced today. And so it is.

It might seem a bit odd for JLR to declare such a big move in the UK after their huge, and understandable, objection to the issues they will face with Brexit, but the truth is they probably have no choice.

Yes, JLR has plants in other parts of the world, but it probably doesn’t have the expertise, from top to bottom, in the workforce to do this anywhere else. So, with diesel woes weighing heavily on the firm’s sales, they’ve bitten the bullet and will build EVs in the UK – and deal with Brexit issues when they arise.

On the day the last ICE Jaguar XJ rolls off the production line, JLR confirm that the first electric car in their plan is a new Jaguar XJ, and it’ll be a new electric Jaguar XJ.

The news comes on the back of the tie-up with BMW to develop future EV gubbins, battery and Electric Drive Unit assembly in the Midlands and a new Battery Assembly Centre at Hams Hall next year.

Later this month, JLR will start work at Castle Bromwich to install the new facilities and technology needed to build a new range of electric JLR vehicles based on a new MLA Architecture capable of delivering EVs and ICE vehicles.

Ralph Speth, JLR CEO, said:

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-fuelling a conventional vehicle.

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. The UK has the raw materials, scientific research in our universities and an existing supplier base to put the UK at the leading edge of mobility and job creation.

Jaguar Land Rover are also taking the opportunity with the announcement of its EV plans to call for giga-scale battery production in the UK, asking government and industry to work together to make it possible and safeguard the future production of EVs in the UK.