JAGUAR Land Rover unveiled a new major facility at Gaydon in Warwickshire today.
It says its Advanced Product Creation Centre is ‘one of the UK’s most sustainable non-domestic buildings and the country’s largest automotive creation and development centres’.
The Gaydon site, with 13,000 engineers and designers, is already playing a major part in the shift to zero emissions developing the current and next generation Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, the luxury car giant states.
That development includes autonomous, connected, electrified and shared mobility technologies.
Of its new centre on-site, JLR chief executive, Professor Sir Ralf Speth, said: At Gaydon, we have invested into the future and an inspiring environment for our people. We have created the prerequisites that Gaydon can design and engineer the next generations of outstanding cars in highest quality.”
JLR said: “The advanced product creation centre brings design, engineering and production purchasing under one roof for the first time in Jaguar Land Rover’s history. The site is 4,000,000m², the equivalent to almost 480 football pitches.
The new facility delivers more than 50,000m² of additional world-class innovative workspace which has been designed to encourage collaboration throughout the entire vehicle development process – from sketch to showroom. It includes the new Jaguar design studio, co-locating Jaguar and Land Rover design for the first time.
“Gaydon’s new offices are rated in the top 10 per cent of most sustainable non-domestic buildings in the UK. Up to 20 per cent of its energy will come from almost 3,000m² of photovoltaic solar panels on the roof, and the remainder from 100 per cent renewable sources. The same glazing technology as the Eden Project has been used to bring natural light into the building wherever possible and make it more energy efficient.”
Today’s event showcased both latest vehicles and research technologies.
JLR added: “Jaguar Land Rover is on track to deliver its commitment to offer customers electrified options for all new Jaguar and Land Rover models from 2020.
“Today’s opening at Gaydon follows confirmation of the company’s plans to transform its Castle Bromwich facility into the UK’s first premium electrified plant where a range of new electrified vehicles will be manufactured, starting with the next generation Jaguar XJ.
“The new Land Rover Defender was designed and engineered in Gaydon. An icon reimagined for the digital generation; Defender uses the latest clean Ingenium engines built at Wolverhampton reinforcing the company’s British roots as well as the diversified nature of its manufacturing strategy. It will feature MHEV from launch and PHEV will be introduced next year. “
