SOLIHULL — Range Rover has unveiled its first fully electric model after a year-long delay to the planned launch. The Range Rover Electric is set to be built in Solihull and represents a major step in JLR’s wider electrification push.
The move comes alongside large-scale upgrades across the company’s West Midlands sites, including new battery and electric drive unit production lines. JLR said the launch is being supported by training programmes for thousands of staff as it continues to modernise its manufacturing base.
Parent company JLR said it has up-skilled 10,500 workers for electric production.
Solihull and Wolverhampton are at the centre of JLR’s electric plans
JLR said around 9,000 employees in Solihull have been trained for electrification, with a further 1,500 across the wider West Midlands region. The company said that work is helping prepare the business for the shift away from petrol and diesel-powered vehicles.
Its electric propulsion manufacturing centre in Wolverhampton is now producing battery packs and electric drive units alongside internal combustion engines. That means the site is handling both long-established engine work and newer electric technology as the carmaker broadens its output.
Martin Limpert, managing director of Range Rover, said the new model was the result of a decade of “considered engineering”.
Launch follows a difficult year for Coventry-based JLR
The unveiling comes as JLR faces falling profits, supply chain disruption and restructuring after a cyber attack last year. The Coventry-based carmaker reported profits of £66m in the first quarter after a fire at a key Norwegian supplier added to its pressures.
The company has also confirmed that fewer than 300 roles will go as part of its restructuring plans, less than a year after the cyber attack halted production for more than a month. JLR said at the time of its results that new product launches would leave the business “in good shape”, while also acknowledging ongoing geopolitical, inflationary and regulatory challenges.
The electric Range Rover is therefore arriving at a time when the company is trying to balance investment in new technology with wider business pressures.
What the new model means for Range Rover’s wider electrification programme
The launch marks a significant milestone in Range Rover’s electrification programme and in JLR’s broader strategy for its UK factories. By bringing battery and electric drive unit production into existing sites, the business is signalling that electric vehicles will sit at the heart of future manufacturing plans.
The company’s shift has been backed by upgrades across the West Midlands, where Solihull and Wolverhampton are taking on expanded roles in the production process. JLR says the changes are designed to support the next generation of vehicles while keeping manufacturing rooted in the region.
For Range Rover, the first fully electric model is being presented as the culmination of long-term engineering work, even though the launch has arrived later than originally planned.
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