JLR to invest £15bn over 5 years into an electric-first future

JLR, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motors Limited, announced that its plant in Halewood, UK, will become an all-electric production facility and its next-gen medium-size SUV architecture, electrified modular architecture (EMA), will now be pure-electric. Chief Executive Adrian Mardell reaffirmed to reposition the company as an electric-first, modern luxury carmaker by 2030, as JLR aims to achieve its financial goals of a net cash positive position by FY25 and double-digit EBIT by 2026. 

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. Range Rover, the original luxury SUV, will be available for pre-order in pure electric form later this year and the first of three electric reimagined Jaguar models is planned to be launched in 2025.

The first of three reimagined luxury Jaguars will be a 4-door GT built in Solihull in the West Midlands, UK. With power output more than any previous Jaguar, a range of up to 700 km (430 miles), and indicative pricing from £100,000, the 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.

While EMA will now be electric only, JLR will continue to retain the flexible modular longitudinal architecture (MLA) on which Range Rover and Range Rover Sport are built, offering internal combustion engine, HYBRID and battery electric vehicle options.

Adrian Mardell said: “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.”

Investing in JLR’s UK industrial footprint

JLR Engine Manufacturing Centre 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 Centre to reflect the move. For its 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 bodywork for EVs. JLR continues to explore options for other parts of the Castle Bromwich site.