Welcome to our regular news round-up relating to all things Jaguar Land Rover.
We look at some of the stories about Britain’s biggest car maker, which has its global headquarters in Coventry.
It continues to be a challenging time for the company as the automotive industry struggles due to the coronavirus pandemic but there's also plenty to look forward to in 2021.
As always CoventryLive has been writing about the Whitley-based company and it's been such a busy period this round-up consists exclusively of CoventryLive content.
Since our last round-up our coverage has included a very special Jaguar up for sale in the shape of an XJ220, which once upon a time was the fastest road car on the planet.
We also had an update on the call for a huge gigafactory in the Midlands to build batteries for electric cars.
It has been revealed a site for a gigafactory has been identified and could be in Coventry.
Also that Jaguar Land Rover are at the heart of the plans - as a company which would use batteries made there.
We reported on news that workers at Jaguar Land Rover employees at the firm’s Castle Bromwich factory have been redeployed to the Solihull factory due to a rising number of Covid cases in Solihull.
Further afield we reported on exciting plans for Jaguar Land Rover that are taking shape in Leicestershire.
Funding has been agreed for a huge global parts distribution centre for the company at the vast three million sq ft Mercia Park project in the East Midlands.
Footage below of how Jaguar Classic is creating the E-Type 60 Collection
It will supply replacement parts to Jaguar Land Rover customers across the world.
Jaguar Land Rover has played its part in the fight against coronavirus and we revealed how it is continuing to do so by lending a fleet of new Land Rover defenders to doctors in Solihull and Birmingham as part of the vaccine roll-out.
And in other coronavirus-related news we revealed a trio of initiatives the company is involved i n.
It has turned a visitor centre into a vaccine research hub, introduced rapid testing trials across all sites and developed a long Covid rehabilitation programme for employees.
Our final story in a busy Jaguar Land Rover week revealed how a special edition of Jaguar's flagship model - the F-Type - is being made available to UK customers only.
Jaguar supercar once the fastest road car on the planet is up for sale
A rare example of a Jaguar supercar - which was once the fastest road car on the planet - is up for sale.
The Jaguar XJ220 is being sold on eBay with an asking price of £425,000.
The 1990s supercar had a chequered history before making it into production but models are highly sought after now by collectors.
The 1995 XJ220 on the market is part of a UK collection and is being sold by a specialist dealer based in Penn, Buckinghamshire.
As well as having deep pockets any would-be buyers need to book an appointment for a viewing and test drive.
The vehicle has just 11,000 miles on the clock.
The ebay sales particulars say: “Finished in black with grey full leather, this stunning example is currently in a private collection and is viewing by appointment only. The car has a great history file, and has been maintained irrelevant of cost.”
The sales particulars go on to offer an interesting insight into the history of the XJ220.
You can read the full story here.
Jaguar Land Rover at heart of gigafactory plans - and it could be in Coventry
A site for a gigafactory to make batteries for electric cars has been identified and could be in Coventry, according to the Mayor of the West Midlands.
Andy Street made the claim as he faced off criticism from Liam Byrne - a Birmingham MP and Labour’s candidate to become West Midlands Mayor - who claimed that thousands of jobs in the region are at risk because of the failure to secure a gigafactory.
Mr Street said Jaguar Land Rover are at the heart of the plans - as a company which would use batteries made there - and it has been claimed the facility could be built on land at Coventry Airport.
Mr Byrne published a report saying: “Failing to create a UK-manufacturing base for electric vehicle batteries, through taking the necessary steps on funding certainty and process, risks a huge harm to the industry and losing 114,000 automotive jobs by 2040.”
A similar warning was issued by Andy Palmer, former chief executive of Warwickshire car maker Aston Martin, who warned the UK “will lose” its automotive industry “and the 800,000 jobs that go with it.".
Dr Palmer, who led Aston Martin until last May and is now non-executive vice chairman of InoBat Auto, a European electric vehicle battery producer, said: “If the UK doesn’t build giga-plants quickly, within a decade we will lose our vehicle manufacturers to countries where they can get local batteries.”
But current West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, who will stand again as the Conservative candidate in this year’s mayoral election, said work on securing a giant factory to produce batteries for electric vehicles was well underway. A bid for funding, prepared in partnership with Coventry car maker Jaguar Land Rover would be presented within the next two months to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which has made £500m available to help secure a factory.
A site for the proposed facility has been identified, Mr Street said. Details have not been revealed but options could include land at Coventry Airport.
With the Government banning the sale of new petrol and diesel-fuelled cars in 2030, car makers such as Jaguar Land Rover will increasingly shift to producing electric vehicles.
You can read the full story here.
Jaguar Land Rover workers redeployed to Solihull site after surge in Covid cases
Hundreds of workers at Jaguar Land Rover are off sick or self-isolating after a surge in Covid cases, it has been claimed.
Employees at the firm’s Castle Bromwich factory have been redeployed to the site in Solihull to help meet demand for vehicles, BirminghamLive reports.
It’s believed around 100 members of staff have been transferred from Castle Bromwich to Solihull to help cover staff absences.
Production has allegedly been suspended on the XE and XF models while the workforce has been shifted to Solihull.
The exact figure of staff off sick in Solihull was not confirmed, but one worker alleged it 'ran into the hundreds'.
But the decision has sparked fear among workers and their families, with one woman saying she was 'petrified her husband would bring the virus home'.
One concerned JLR Castle Bromwich worker said: "Production of the XE and XF at Castle Bromwich have been suspended and the entire workforce of more than 100 people have been redeployed to Solihull to assist with production.
"This is due to a high number of absences due to Covid.
"How we can social distance while learning a new job I don’t know."
JLR confirmed staff were being temporarily transferred to Solihull after a rise in positive Covid cases.
You can read the full story here.
Huge new Jaguar Land Rover global distribution park secures funding
Funding has been agreed for a huge global parts distribution centre for Jaguar Land Rover.
The new facility will be created at the vast three million sq ft Mercia Park project in the East Midlands and supply replacement parts to Jaguar Land Rover customers across the world.
Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) is to provide backing for Mercia Park, which is being built by IM Properties next to Junction 11 of the M42, in north west Leicestershire.
ICG said the transaction represented the UK’s biggest-ever “single occupier build-to-suit transaction”, and it will partner IM Properties to deliver the scheme on 20-year leases for each of the five units.
The site will be Jaguar Land Rover's global hub for sending spare parts to customers in the UK and 80 countries around the world, including the UK, north and south America, parts of Asia and India.
The Coventry car maker wants to centralise the work currently done at 10 warehouses dotted around the Midlands, one of which is close to Coventry Airport.
Jaguar Land Rover’s 10 current parts warehouses include three main sites in Baginton, Honeybourne near Stratford and Desford in Leicestershire.
They are run by Neovia, Unipart, Ceva Logistics and Panalpina and between them employ around 1,200 people.
The whole site in Leicestershire is set to create 1,200 jobs when it opens with 3,000 forecast by 2030.
You can read the full story here.
Jaguar Land Rover lends fleet of Defenders to doctors in coronavirus fight
Jaguar Land Rover is continuing to play a part in the fight against coronavirus by lending a fleet of new Land Rover defenders to doctors.
The Coventry car maker teamed-up with Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Birmingham to lend 10 New Defenders to healthcare organisations across Solihull and Birmingham as the as vaccination roll-out continues.
The vehicles were delivered to Solihull Council, University Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and general practices throughout the area.
Healthcare staff are using them as they vaccinate care home residents and deliver vital equipment.
You can read the full story here.
Latest Jaguar Land Rover coronavirus update as car maker reveals three pandemic initiatives
Jaguar Land Rover has revealed details of three initiatives it is involved in to support the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The Coventry car maker has turned its Castle Bromwich visitor centre into a vaccine research hub, introduced rapid testing trials across all sites and developed a long Covid rehabilitation programme for employees.
The Castle Bromwich Experience Centre at its Birmingham Jaguar plant will be converted into a Covid-19 vaccination research hub, hosting follow-up appointments for volunteers who received initial injections at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.
The NHS and Clinical Research Network West Midlands continue to trial new vaccines as well as the three already approved for use in the UK, making these research centres vital while the existing vaccines are given.
Alongside this, to ensure a Covid-19-safe workplace, Jaguar Land Rover is taking part in an NHS pilot scheme to support rapid Covid-19 testing across all its UK sites.
The NHS Test and Trace serial contact testing programme is being introduced by major employers in the region.
In another initiative the Centre for Wellbeing at Jaguar Land Rover’s Lode Lane plant in Solihull is introducing a rehabilitation programme for employees suffering from ‘long Covid’, focusing on lung capacity, neck mobility and energy levels.
You can read the full story here.
Jaguar unveils a special version of its flagship model
Jaguar has unveiled a special limited edition version of its flagship model.
Just 150 F-Type Reims Edition models will be built with orders being taken now.
The one-off version of Jaguar’s current sports car is finished in a striking French Racing Blue colour.
It is also only available only to UK customers and available in Coupé form only.
There’s a choice of two power variants - either P300 or P450 RWD.
The bespoke exterior shade of blue is reserved only for the F-Type Reims Edition, which becomes the second Jaguar in the series, following the XE Reims Edition late in 2019.
You can read the full story here.
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