Range Rover launches first fully electric model

Range Rover has introduced its first fully electric model, following a delayed launch originally planned a year ago. The Range Rover Electric, set to be manufactured in Solihull, signifies a significant transformation in the automaker's electrification strategy, supported by substantial upgrades in its West Midlands facilities. JLR's parent company disclosed that it has trained 10,500 employees for electric production, despite recent financial woes and anticipated workforce reductions.

The debut occurs amid challenges for the Coventry-based manufacturer, including declining profits, supply chain disruptions, and recovery efforts after a cyber attack last year. JLR attributes the launch to new battery and electric drive unit production lines, as well as training programs for around 9,000 personnel in Solihull and an additional 1,500 across the region.

Martin Limpert, Range Rover's managing director, described the new model as the culmination of a decade-long "considered engineering" effort. The company's shift to electric vehicles follows a challenging year marked by a 66-million-pound profit shortfall in the first quarter, stemming from a fire at a crucial Norwegian supplier, and restructuring that led to the potential loss of fewer than 300 jobs, just a year after a cyber attack disrupted production for over a month.

JLR's electric expansion comes in the wake of an industry grappling with geopolitical, inflationary, and regulatory hurdles, with the company expressing optimism about its new product lineup as a stabilizing factor.