JLR moves Jaguar XE production to Castle Bromwich; to invest £100 million

Jaguar Land Rover will shift the production of the in-demand Jaguar XE to its Castle Bromwich facility, marking the return of all Jaguar sports and saloon car manufacturing to the Birmingham plant.

The XE’s shift from its current home at Solihull to Castle Bromwich will result in £100 million (Rs 890 crore) investment, taking the total investments in the site to more than £500 million (Rs 4,435 crore) over the last two years, supporting the XF, F-TYPE and XJ, also built at the plant. The amount will be mainly spent on new press lines, body shops and final assembly halls. Around 3,000 people are employed at Castle Bromwich.

Latest figures for mid-August show Jaguar sales have hit 85,726 units for the year so far, an increase of 72% on 2015. That figure is primarily driven by the launch of the Jaguar F-Pace and has been buoyed by the Jaguar XE going on sale in the US.

Wolfgang Stadler, executive director of Manufacturing, Jaguar Land Rover, commented: “The significant investment to create two centres of excellence in aluminium vehicle manufacturing, utilising shared technologies, was deliberate. It gives us the flexibility to quickly respond to consumer demand for our growing range of products.”

Jaguar's Castle Bromwich plant was slated for closure in 2008 when company bosses announced that they would be forced to close one of its two UK production facilities. However, company bosses eventually reversed the decision, resulting in the subsequent investment of £500 million.

Nicolas Guibert, Castle Bromwich Operations Director, said: “2016 is a pivotal year for Castle Bromwich. The arrival of the XE sees us increase our model lines and volume. This plant has a rich heritage and is undergoing its most significant transformation in decades, with major infrastructure projects either complete or under way. The commissioning of our all-new press line and launch of our body shop to support the introduction of XE means Castle Bromwich is future-proof.”

Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull plant will continue to operate three shifts, 24 hours a day, to keep up with global demand for the Jaguar F-PACE and Range Rover Sport which are built on the same production line.

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