COVENTRY, U.K. – Jaguar Land Rover opens a new $26 million (£20 million) technical center aimed at ramping up production of the group’s halo products.
The 215,278-sq.-ft. (20,000-sq.-m) facility near Coventry in the Midlands of England will be the headquarters of JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) and house manufacturing, paint, technical and customer commissioning and presentation zones.
SVO was created in June 2014 and is responsible for halo products, vehicle personalization and classic-car programs by Jaguar Land Rover Classics, including the new Jaguar XKSS slated to make its world debut in California at November’s Los Angeles auto show.
Other SVO models include the Jaguar F-Type Project 7, the F-Type SVR, the Range Rover Sport SVR and the Range Rover SV Autobiography. Sales of SVO products across JLR brands eclipsed 3,600 units in the 2015-2016 fiscal year.
On top of the financial investment, SVO will expand its labor force by 25% with the hiring of another 250 specially trained employees.
JLR customers can visit the center’s Bespoke Commissioning Suite by invitation to create and customize their vehicles with assistance from a member of the center’s design team. The tailored experience continues through to the food created by Michelin-starred chef Graham Edwards.
“The new Special Vehicle Operations technical center is a major step forward in meeting the desires of our most discerning customers,” says John Edwards, managing director-JLR SVO.
“Inspired by a Formula 1 engineering center, it enables us to build on the successful launches of the Range Rover Sport SVR, Range Rover SV Autobiography and Jaguar F-TYPE SVR, and provide an excellent foundation for the growth of the SVO business with the introduction of exciting new vehicle personalization programs,” he says.
