LONDON: Britain’s biggest automaker Jaguar Land Rover is expected to announce plans next week to build electric cars at its central English Castle Bromwich factory, the Sunday Times reported.
An all-electric version of its XJ luxury saloon will be the first of three new vehicles to be made from a common skeleton followed by a sport utility vehicle, the newspaper said.
The company could not immediately be reached for comment late on Saturday.
The move would be a rare bright spot for the British automotive sector which has been hit by job cuts, plant closure announcements and falling sales in recent months linked to tumbling demand for diesel vehicles and Brexit uncertainty.
With a mandate that zero-emission vehicles make up 15 percent of automakers’ California sales by 2025, the state is driving carmakers to roll out carbon-free vehicles in an environment of uncertain future demand. At the same time, cheap gasoline is propelling a shift among U.S. consumers toward larger vehicles, particularly SUVs.
