PHOTO: REUTERS
"Jaguar Land Rover today (Friday) revealed plans to manufacture a range of new electrified vehicles at its manufacturing plant in Castle Bromwich, UK," the Indian-owned group said in a statement.
The first car to roll off the production line at Castle Bromwich, which currently employs 2,500 workers, will be the next-generation all-electric Jaguar XJ luxury saloon model.
"It's a huge step for (the) very prestigious, special premium-luxury XJ production in Castle Bromwich," JLR Chief Executive Ralf Speth told AFP in an interview.
The facility in Birmingham, Britain's second biggest city, will produce the electric vehicles as part of a "huge" electrification investment that was "in the billions", Speth said.
Jaguar to make multi-million pound electric car investment
The news is a welcome fillip for the nation's largely foreign-owned car sector, which has long warned over the impact of Britain's looming departure from the European Union at the end of October.
Batteries will be made in neighbouring Hams Hall, Warwickshire, while electric motors will be manufactured at JLR's engine plant close to the nearby city of Wolverhampton.
"Today's announcement, which safeguards several thousand jobs in the UK, is the next stage in execution of Jaguar Land Rover's electrification strategy," JLR added.
The group aims to offer electrified options for all new Jaguar and Land Rover models by 2020.
"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," added Speth.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 6th, 2019.
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