JLR sees 10,000 new UK jobs with its new electric vehicles

Jaguar Land Rover is creating a new automobile revolution with its all-electric battery-operated Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV model and new cleaner running Land Rover diesel models, that could also create up to 10,000 new jobs in the UK, say reports.

Reports quoting JLR chief executive Ralf Speth said the batteries for the new Jaguar I-Pace will be produced in the West Midlands by Warwick Manufacturing Group, with the Magna Steyr production facility in Austria handling most of the car production.

Speth, however, said that future electric vehicles could be built in the Midlands provided the UK government invests in infrastructure improvements that make it favourable for a new EV-focused manufacturing facility to be established.

A Financial Times report quoting Speth said the UK government needed to invest around £450m to create the infrastructure that would help JLR create its new facility.

JLR will need extra electricity, land for development and the "right legislative framework" to enable the company to expand its operations quickly, the report quoted Speth as saying.

Jaguar Land Rover has revealed its first electric vehicle, the Jaguar I-PACE Concept, alongside the all-new Land Rover Discovery at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Jaguar Land Rover is working towards a cleaner future, with ultra-clean diesels and petrol engines, BEVs, PHEVs and MHEVs all in its strategic plans. By 2020 the company will offer customers the option of electrification on half of all its new cars, CEO Dr Ralf Speth confirmed.

The Jaguar I-PACE Concept is an electric five-seat performance car with supercar looks, sports car performance and SUV space. The production version will be revealed in later 2017 and will be on the roads in 2018 with a predicted range of more than 500km on the NEDC cycle (220 miles EPA).

''Making its North American debut, the new Land Rover Discovery continues a 27-year story of innovation. Jaguar Land Rover is leading the software engineering revolution at the forefront of the shift from cogs to code, illustrated by the investment in electrical engineering which has trebled from £99m to £301m over the last five years,'' the UK carmaker stated in a release.

Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover CEO, said, ''Design leadership, technical innovation and engineering excellence lie at the heart of this responsible business. Both the Jaguar I-PACE Concept and the Land Rover Discovery are revolutionary vehicles and major innovations in each of their segments, sharing our compelling combination of iconic British design and creative engineering.
 
''We are shaping the future, developing our own approach to autonomy, connectivity and electrification to offer our customers more choice,'' he added.

Joe Eberhardt, president and CEO of Jaguar Land Rover North America, said, ''Jaguar Land Rover is dramatically increasing its presence in the US marketplace. Jaguar is the fastest-selling brand in America this year and Land Rover is building on sales records when we were the fastest growing luxury brand in the US in 2015.''

Last year, Jaguar Land Rover confirmed plans to double the size of its advanced engineering and design centre in the UK. This expansion will house highly skilled product development engineers and support the company's creation of high-tech, ultra-low emissions vehicles for customers around the world.

The UK is the cornerstone of Jaguar Land Rover's business and remains the centre of Jaguar Land Rover's design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities. Over the past five years Jaguar Land Rover has employed more than 20,000 people, taking its workforce to almost 40,000. It has invested more than £12 billion in new product creation and capital expenditure.

JLR plans to launch about half of JLR's model range in the hybrid or electric variants within five years.