Jaguar announces multi-million UK electric car investment

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The UK's biggest carmaker Jaguar Land Rover has announced that it is making a multi-million pound investment to build electric vehicles in its home market, in a major boost to a sector hit by a slump in diesel sales and Brexit uncertainty.

The firm is currently undergoing a turnaround that is intended to offer consumers an electrified option to all of its new models from 2020 onwards, as it looks to move away from its reliance on diesel vehicles - a market that has been in sharp decline.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which accounts for 30 percent of the 1.5 million cars built in the UK last year, will make a range of electrified vehicles at its Castle Bromwich plant in central England, beginning with its luxury saloon, the XJ.

“The future of mobility is electric and, as a visionary British company, we are committed to making our next generation of zero-emission vehicles in the UK,” said chief executive Ralf Speth.

Despite JLR's warnings about the dangers of a no-deal Brexit and the need to maintain frictionless trade with the European Union, it has signed a deal with workers at the Castle Bromwich factory to go from a 5-day to a 4-day working week with the same amount of hours which should allow the plant to operate more efficiently.

JLR also called on the government to bring giga-scale battery production to the country so that Britain is not left behind in the rush to produce low and zero-emissions vehicles and technology.