The reasons given are the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and spending restrictions on Jaguar Land Rover. Instead of early 2021, production of the new electric car at the Castle Bromwich plant near Birmingham is to be postponed until October 2021, reports The Times. The plant is to reopen in August at a greatly reduced scale. For the time being, however, employees are to concentrate on the production of the existing XE and XF models; projects not relevant to day-to-day business – such as the conversion of the assembly lines for a new model – will have to wait until the restrictions are further relaxed.
Production of the XJ with internal combustion engines at Castle Bromwich will cease in July 2019. The announced electric successor will be developed by the same team of experts as the Jaguar I-Pace. The electric sedan will be equipped with a 90.2 kWh battery. This should enable ranges of up to 470 kilometers.
It remains to be seen what impact the delayed start of production of the XJ will have on the planned electric car cluster around Birmingham – or whether delays in one of the sub-projects are the actual reason for the new schedule. JLR previously announced its intention to start up a battery assembly centre at Hams Hall, which will produce power storage units for 150,000 vehicles per year. At the Wolverhampton Engine Manufacturing Center, the company plans to manufacture its own electronic drive units. If one of the two stations cannot deliver as planned, this will also affect vehicle production at Castle Bromwich.
