Range Rover launches first fully electric model

Range Rover has unveiled its archetypal afloat electrical model after a year‑long hold to its planned launch. The Range Rover Electric, slated for production at the Solihull plant, marks a significant step in the company’s electrification programme, backed by extensive upgrades across its West Midlands facilities. JLR said it has up‑skilled 10,500 workers for electric vehicle assembly as it pushes forward with modernization despite recent fiscal pressures and planned job cuts. The launch comes as the Coventry‑based carmaker confronts falling profits, supply‑chain disruption and restructuring following a cyber attack last year. The company said the rollout is being supported by new battery and electric‑drive production lines, alongside training of around 9,000 employees in Solihull for electrification and a further 1,500 staff across the region. JLR’s Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton is currently producing battery packs and electric‑drive units alongside conventional internal‑combustion engines. Martin Limpert, managing manager of Range Rover, described the new model as the outcome of a decade of "considered engineering". JLR’s electric rollout follows a turbulent year in which profits dropped to £66m in the first quarter after an incident at a key Norwegian supplier. The group is also undergoing restructuring, confirming that fewer than 300 roles will be affected within a year of the cyber attack that halted production for more than a month. At the time of the results, JLR noted that forthcoming model launches would leave the business in a sound position while acknowledging the continuing geopolitical, inflationary and regulatory challenges facing the industry.