Jaguar Land Rover opens engine plant in China to make Ingenium 2L petrol motor

Jaguar Land Rover has opened its Chinese engine plant as part of its RMB10.9 billion (Rs 11,096 crore) joint venture with Chery Automobile Ltd. The state-of-the-art facility will manufacture the all-new Ingenium 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine for future Chery Jaguar Land Rover vehicles.

Operations began at Chery Jaguar Land Rover’s plant less than three years ago and since then it has manufactured more than 100,000 vehicles. It produces the Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover Discovery Sport and, exclusively for the Chinese market, the Jaguar XFL. In addition, it has confirmed that the all-new Jaguar E-Pace will be produced in Changshu from 2018.

Cutting-edge engine manufacturing technology
Mirroring its sister plant in the UK, the Chinese engine facility includes both machining and assembly halls to manufacture the most advanced engines Jaguar Land Rover has ever produced. At more than 50,000 square metres, the new world-class facility contains a fully flexible production line with exactly 28 robots.

According to Murray Dietsch, president of Chery Jaguar Land Rover, “The premium, lightweight, four-cylinder Ingenium family uses the most flexible engine architecture created by Jaguar Land Rover, making them efficient, powerful and capable. Our new engine plant incorporates the latest cutting-edge engine manufacturing technologies from Jaguar Land Rover to deliver the new Ingenium petrol engine to our Chinese customers and today’s opening ceremony is another important milestone for the team in Changshu.”

How the facility stacks up
The machining hall is where the first parts of the engine are made, containing within them the DNA of Jaguar Land Rover’s Ingenium family. It has 97 machines across three production lines – everything from assembly robots to drilling and high-pressure wash machines operate here.

On the first line, the aluminium block begins its transformation from a piece of metal to the technologically advanced heart of the Ingenium engine. It is heated in an oven before undergoing a series of machining operations, always punctuated by high-pressure washes to filter debris away. The cylinder head is created on the second line and undergoes similar processes.

The third line differs as it is machining forged steel rather than aluminium. The steel is milled, turned and drilled to create the crankshaft.

Both automated and manual tests take place throughout each line, ensuring that each component is made to the highest possible standard of quality.

In the assembly hall, the block, cylinder head and crankshaft move through 17 zones, with approximately 245 components added and rigorous testing undertaken, before joining all three together to form the all-new Ingenium 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine. 

The engine is then cold tested, an eco-friendly procedure that ensures the highest quality standards are met before it leaves the assembly line.