- Special Vehicle Operations Technical Centre to be located in Ryton
- 100 new highly‑skilled jobs to be filled
- Will create high luxury bespoke commissions and high performance vehicles
- Complements existing research and development activities
Whitley, UK, 14th August, 2014 ‑ Jaguar Land Rover announces that it has chosen Prologis Park, Ryton, near Coventry for the company's investment in its Special Vehicle Operations Technical Centre. The facility will be Jaguar Land Rover's global centre of excellence for the creation of high‑end luxury bespoke commissions and extreme performance vehicles. With operations set to begin towards the end of the year, a team of 150 Jaguar Land Rover specialists will be based at Ryton. Some 100 of those highly‑skilled engineering and technician jobs will be new. £20 million will be invested in installing specialist equipment and a customer commissioning suite.
The Technical Centre will be part of the company's Special Operations, created in June under the leadership of John Edwards to focus on meeting the increasing expectations of today's most discerning and enthusiastic Jaguar and Land Rover customers. Its unique facilities will feature a VIP customer commissioning suite for bespoke services and premium vehicle personalisation, as well as Formula 1‑inspired flexible workshops and a specialist paint studio.
Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, John Edwards, commented: "We are excited by the capability and potential that this new facility will give us. We will be creating truly iconic vehicles that reinforce the global reputation of both Jaguar and Land Rover brands as we expand our product portfolio and fulfil our ambitious plans."
A Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations team of 150 specialists will be based at Oxford Road, creating high luxury, individually‑tailored "halo" vehicles. Of these jobs, some 100 will be newly‑created engineering and other highly‑skilled operational jobs. The location will complement Jaguar Land Rover's engineering, design and testing facilities at Whitley and Gaydon, as well as the new Jaguar Heritage workshop at Browns Lane, Coventry and the company's advanced manufacturing facilities.
The first vehicle to roll out of the new SVO workshop will be the Jaguar F‑TYPE Project 7, the most powerful and fastest production Jaguar to date. This is an exclusive product, with just 250 models being made available worldwide. Each F‑TYPE Project 7 will start life at the company's plant in Castle Bromwich, before transferring to the Special Operations Technical Centre to complete the build by hand.
Jaguar Land Rover continues to deliver on its strategic growth plans, which will see the company investing in 50 new product actions over the next five years. This includes £1.5 billion to introduce an all‑new, technically‑advanced aluminium vehicle architecture in forthcoming models, beginning with the new Jaguar XE premium sedan to be manufactured from 2015 at the company's Solihull facility. The new Land Rover Discovery Sport, which will go on sale in 2015, will be the most versatile and capable vehicle in the compact SUV segment. It is the first member of an all‑new family of Discovery vehicles, inspired by the Discovery Vision Concept which was showcased at the New York International Auto Show in April 2014.
Ends
Notes to editors:
Jaguar Land Rover:
- Jaguar Land Rover's Special Operations, created in June 2014, will focus on delivering halo vehicles, bespoke commissions, heritage products and branded goods
- Special Operations will meet the increasing expectations of the company's most discerning and enthusiastic customers
- Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations has the responsibility within Special Operations to create a range of high performance production models for both Jaguar and Land Rover, vehicle personalisation products and low volume, high value Limited Edition models for both brands
- Halo vehicles will showcase the best of both brands, including high performance derivatives, ultra‑luxury products and limited run collector editions
- Jaguar F‑TYPE Project 7 is the first Jaguar halo product from Special Operations. Customer deliveries will begin from mid‑2015.
- Jaguar Land Rover has ambitious plans for sustainable growth and profitability
- In 2013, Jaguar Land Rover sold 425,006 vehicles, up 19%. Of that, Jaguar sold 76,668 vehicles and Land Rover sold 348,338 vehicles
- Jaguar Land Rover will invest circa £3.5bn in its products and facilities in the financial year to March 2015
- Jaguar Land Rover is one of the UK's largest exporters and generates in the region of 85% of its revenue from exports
For more information, please contact:
Ken McConomy, Head of Corporate Relations
M: +44 (0) 7714 725 236 E: kmcconom@jaguarlandrover.com
Joan Chesney, Senior Communications Officer
T: + 44 (0) 7467 448 229 E: jchesney@jaguarlandrover.com
