AUTONEWS

Jaguar Land Rover to invest £15 billion to electrify its UK fleet

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has revealed it will invest £15 billion to electrify its UK manufacturing operations over the next five years.

The Tata-owned OEM revealed today (April 19) that its Halewood factory on Merseyside would become an all-electric manufacturing facility with its Wolverhampton Engine Manufacturing Center also set to be renamed the Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Center under the new plans.

It comes as JLR prepares to launch a fully electrified Range Rover, a new £100,000 four-door Jaguar GT car and retail agency model, alongside a major 'House of Brands'-themed restructuring of its network of car retail.

JLR's new chief executive, Adrian Mardell, reaffirmed the company's commitment to its Reimagine strategy at a press conference in Gaydon, highlighting his aim to reposition the company as a modern, electric luxury carmaker by 2030 as it aims to a positive net cash position by 2025 and double-digit EBIT by 2026.

“Two years ago we launched our Reimagine strategy and since then we have made great progress, including the launch of two new critically acclaimed luxury Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models, joining the Defender family, for which there is a demand. record," said Mardell.

“We achieved this while navigating the headwinds of the pandemic and chip shortages and successfully ramping up production of our most profitable models to turn a profit in the third quarter.

“Today I am proud to announce that we are accelerating our path to electrification, making one of our UK factories and our next-generation midsize luxury SUV architecture fully electric. This investment allows us to deliver our modern luxury electric future, developing new skills and reaffirming our commitment to be net zero carbon by 2039.”

JLR has confirmed it will open the order books for its all-electric Range Rover later this year.

It also revealed that the first of its next generation of modern luxury mid-size SUVs will be another all-electric Range Rover model launched in 2025 and built in Halewood.

The OEM stated that its Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models would continue to be offered with internal combustion engines (ICE), hybrid and electric drivetrains to meet the needs of different markets around the world.

JLR also announced that the first of three new Jaguar models will be a four-door GT built in Solihull, boasting more power than any previous Jaguar, a range of up to 700 km (430 miles) and indicative prices of £100,000.

More details will be released later this year, he said, before the new EV goes on sale in select markets in 2024, with deliveries starting in 2025.

Central to JLR's brand transformation will be a reimagining of its retail offering.

Last month, AM reported that OEM retailers in the UK expressed uncertainty about the future scale of its dealership network as it moves towards a future agency model.

JLR has already confirmed it will move to agency model distribution by 2024 and revealed plans to restructure its retail partners' vast Arch Concept showrooms to accommodate branded zones as part of a House of Brands strategy, but uncertainty remains. about possible cuts in the network.

While one retailer told the AM that the current chain's cuts of 83 locations to between 18 and 20 were "probably in the money", another said the number was "off target".

In today's announcement, JLR said its change to the House of Brands would serve to "broaden the unique character of each of its brands – Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar – and accelerate the delivery of the company's vision of becoming creators. proud of the world's most desirable products. modern luxury automotive brands for the most demanding customers”.

Commenting on the new approach, JLR Creative Director Gerry McGovern said: “Pivotal to our Reimagine strategy is the formation of the House of Brands, which is a natural evolution, with the aim of elevating and amplifying the uniqueness of our persona. british. marquis.

"Our ultimate ambition is to create truly engaging and emotional experiences for our customers that, over time, will build long-term high equity for our brands and long-term sustainability for JLR."

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