Jaguar Land Rover to build electrified car range in UK

Jaguar Land Rover will build range of new electrified cars at its Castle Bromwich plant in Birmingham, starting with the next-generation all-electric Jaguar XJ, the company confirmed on Friday.

The move is the first step is the first step in the company's plans to offer customers electrified options for all its new models from 2020, which JLR said will safeguard several thousand jobs in what is some rare good news for the UK car manufacturing industry.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: "Today’s news is a huge boost for the UK motor industry and reaffirms Britain’s potential to become a global leader in zero emission technologies. To realise this, however, we need the right conditions to encourage more manufacturers to invest, innovate and sell competitively, including massive infrastructure investment and long-term support and incentives for consumers."

No launch dates have been officially announced but the last of the current, non-electrified XJ model will roll off production lines on Friday.

The company had confirmed plans invest in battery and Electric Drive Unit (EDU) assembly capabilities in the Midlands back in January, resulting in a new Battery Assembly Centre at Hams Hall.

This centre remains on track to be operational in 2020 and will be the most innovative and technologically advanced in the UK with an installed capacity of 150,000 units.

Ralf Speth, chief executive of JLR, said: "The future of mobility is electric and, as a visionary British company, we are committed to making our next generation of zero-emission vehicles in the UK. We are co-locating our electric vehicle manufacture, Electronic Drive Units and battery assembly to create a powerhouse of electrification in the Midlands."

Speth and his company also called on government and industry to bring giga-scale battery production to the UK in order to support and grow the existing supply chain and make the UK less dependent on essential materials sourced abroad today.

"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," said Speth.

However, the news of JLR's new investment in electrification comes just days after data from the SMMT showed that alternatively fuelled vehicle sales dropped in June, the first monthly fall in over two years, something that the society's chief executive said caused him "grave concern".