JLR Announces Near $700M BEV Investment But Keeps Door Open to ICE and Hybrid

Britain’s Jaguar Land Rover group announces it is committing to a £500 million ($668 million) investment in battery-electric-vehicle production despite the slowdown of BEV sales in Europe and the U.S.

That said, the transformation of its Halewood plant in the northwest of England will support parallel production of new BEVs alongside continuing production of internal-combustion and hybrid-powered models.

A spokesperson for the automaker tells Sky News that it will continue to respond to consumer demand whatever that may be.

JLR says that its site, originally built in 1963 to produce the Ford Anglia, is being transformed for the electric era with £250 million ($335 million) already invested.

So far, Halewood’s transformation has involved over one million hours of construction work over the past 12 months. The site has been extended to produce JLR’s medium‑sized electric luxury SUVs on its new Electric Modular Architecture platform.

The plant has been fitted with technology including BEV build lines, 750 autonomous robots, ADAS calibration rigs, laser alignment technology and cloud-based digital plant management systems to oversee production.

This investment is part of JLR’s commitment to its “Reimagine” strategy to electrify all its brands by 2030, with the aim of achieving carbon net-zero across supply chains, products and operations by 2039.

The automaker says it expects the plant to eventually become JLR’s first all‑electric production facility while keeping the door open to future production of ICE and hybrid models.

Among the improvements the investment will create a new body shop capable of producing 500 vehicle bodies per day; a near mile-long (1.6-km) paint shop has been modified with the expansion of ovens and conveyors; the building of an automated painted body storage tower capable of storing 600 vehicle bodies; a final production line increased to 3.7 miles (5.9 km) to accommodate battery fitment; and 40 new autonomous mobile robots introduced to assist employees with the installation of high‑voltage batteries.

Through a mix of renewables, fuel switching and energy efficiency products, JLR is aiming to remove 40,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions from Halewood’s industrial footprint as part of its carbon net-zero targets.

Barbara Bergmeier, JLR’s executive director, industrial operations, says: “Halewood has been the heart and soul of JLR in the northwest of England for well over two decades, producing vehicles such as the Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport.

“Halewood will be our first all‑electric production facility, and it is a testament to the brilliant efforts by our teams and suppliers who have worked together to equip the plant with the technology needed to deliver our world class luxury electric vehicles.”