It was only in June that Jaguar Land Rover announced the formation of its new Special Operations division and now this red-letter division is set to get a 'Technical Centre' in Prologis Park, Ryton, near Coventry. The facility will be JLR's global centre of excellence for the creation of high-end luxury bespoke commissions and extreme performance vehicles. The company will invest £20 million to instal specialist equipment and a customer commissioning suite. Operations at the SVO facility are set to begin towards the end of the year with a team of 150 Jaguar Land Rover specialists based there.
The company claims that the Technical Centre will focus on meeting the increasing expectations of today's most discerning and enthusiastic Jaguar and Land Rover customers. Furthermore, its unique facilities will also get a VIP customer commissioning suite for bespoke services and premium vehicle personalisation, as well as Formula 1-inspired flexible workshops and a specialist paint studio.
John Edwards, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, said, "We are excited by the capability and potential that this new facility will give us. We will be creating truly iconic vehicles that reinforce the global reputation of both Jaguar and Land Rover brands as we expand our product portfolio and fulfill our ambitious plans."
Jaguar F-Type Project 7, the most powerful and fastest production Jaguar to date, will be the first vehicle to roll out of the new SVO workshop. Each unit of the car will first come to life at the company's plant in Castle Bromwich, before being transferred to the Special Operations Technical Centre to complete the build by hand. Only 250 models of the F-Type Project 7 will made available worldwide.
Jaguar Land Rover currently operates research and development facilities in Gaydon (Land Rover), Whitley (Jaguar) and at the University of Warwick and assembly plants at Castle Bromwich (XF, XJ and F-Type are built here), Halewood (Freelander/LR2 and Range Rover Evoque), Solihull (Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Discovery/LR4 and Defender). The company is also sorting out the details on a new engine plant in Wolverhampton, new assembly plants in China and Brazil, while work on the one in India is already underway.
