Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth announced plans for the firm to double its output by the end of the decade. In the process he says, they can create 10,000 new jobs in the UK alone. Additionally, the company wants to make EV (Electric Vehicle) or hybrid versions available for half of its cars within five years.
Jaguar Land Rover produced 489,923 vehicles in 2015, surpassing Nissan as the premier auto manufacturer operating in the UK. With production outlets in the UK, China, India, and a new facility slated to open in Slovakia in 2018, the rapidly growing firm currently employs approximately 45,000 people. Their investment in the Warwick Manufacturing Group program at the University of Warwick in the UK is but one of many demonstrations of their innovative spirit and commitment to continued growth of the UK automotive sector.
Based on the success of the company, and in response to the increasing competition from German and other manufacturers in the EV sector, Speth finally laid out his plans to UK government ministers earlier this month. Speth made it clear however, that the venture would put a significant burden on the infrastructure surrounding their research and production complexes in the UK Midlands. To resolve those issues, Speth is asking for £450m in public funds expenditure to solve problems of power generation and other infrastructure to handle the increased production volume.
Speth told leading political and automotive figures from the Midlands the planned expansion would require an extra 12 to 15 gigawatts of electricity per year, land for development, and “the right legislative framework”. JLR would also need a £600m shot in the arm of private investment.
JLR’s first EV product, the Jaguar I-pace, will be built in Austria by a third-party firm, Manga Steyr- though it’s battery systems were designed in the Midlands. The Warwick Manufacturing group has designed lithium EV batteries that it claims are 80% more efficient than those of the competition. Says Speth, “We want to build our EVs in the West Midlands, in the home of our design and engineering,” he said. “This is why we must bring battery R&D and production to the UK.”
Indeed, JLR has been late to the game in development of Electric Vehicles, but the UK government has pledged support for further projects to make the country a leader in the industry. “The German government wants to be ahead in this. We are in a race. Either we win or we lose,” says Speth.
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