Jaguar picks UK to invest billions in electric cars

JAGUAR Land Rover vowed yesterday to plough billions of pounds into Britain by building new electric cars in Birmingham.

In a rare boost to Britain’s beleaguered motor industry, the firm will start with an electric version of its XJ saloon, which is used to chauffeur prime ministers, celebrities and royalty.

JLR, which is the biggest carmaker in Britain, said the switch to electric would help secure the jobs of 2,700 workers at its Castle Bromwich plant.

The firm – owned by India’s Tata Motors – has not announced when it will launch the battery version of the XJ, but it will replace the petrol and diesel versions.

The news came as the final petrol version of the luxury saloon rolled off the production line yesterday – more than half a century after the first one was built.

JLR will now begin to equip the factory to make other electric cars. In the meantime the site will continue to produce the XF, XE and F-Type models.

The firm cut 1,500 jobs last year, and announced in January that another 4,500 would be axed, mostly in Britain.

But it said the new electric cars would

‘A vote of confidence’

safeguard jobs and the future of the plant. Chief executive Ralf Speth said: ‘The future of mobility is electric, and as a visionary British company we are committed to making our next generation of zeroemission vehicles in the UK.’

Prime Minister Theresa May tweeted that it would protect thousands of jobs and help efforts to get to net zero emissions by 2050, adding: ‘It’s great news.’

Business Secretary Greg Clark described it as ‘a vote of confidence in the UK’.

JLR’s plan comes after a series of blows to Britain’s once-booming car industry.

Honda has announced it will close its Swindon factory in 2021 with the loss of 3,500 jobs, while Sir James Dyson caused fury by building electric cars in Singapore.

Experts claim JLR has little choice but to commit to Britain because it is where the vast bulk of its operation, staff and management are based.

It has also fallen behind rivals in the race to go electric, with only one model – the Jaguar I-Pace – fully battery powered.

The firm, which has 44,000 staff in the UK, will open a battery manufacturing plant at Hams Hall, near Coventry, in 2020.