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Tata confirms JLR is looking at NA for new plant

Despite recent rumors to the contrary, Jaguar Land Rover is considering building a factory in North America, though not necessarily in the United States. The confirmation comes directly from former Tata Motors boss and still chairman emeritus Ratan Tata in a conversation with Automotive News. "The company is indeed looking at North America as a location for another plant. Where they locate that plant, in which country or which state they locate, is something they will need to decide," Tata said to AN. The magnate indicated that he wasn't taking part in the decision, though. Rumors of JLR's plans to open a factory in the US go back to at least to 2014. The automaker was reportedly looking to open a plant in the South to produce around 200,000 vehicles a year, and at the time, South Carolina was considered a possible location. However, later speculation made Georgia a likely contender, especially after the state's governor reportedly flew to the UK to pitch the company on the idea. Recently, the business had allegedly changed its mind and had turned the sights towards Austria or Turkey as potential alternatives. JLR is seemingly on a factory building binge at the moment. It opened a new engine plant in the UK late last year and its first manufacturing center in China at about the same time. The latest Land Rover Discovery Sport will also get assembled in Brazil for the local market. Related Video: Featured Gallery Land Rover Discovery Sport production at Halewood View 44 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Jaguar Land Rover Plants/Manufacturing Jaguar Land Rover Luxury jaguar land rover

Jaguar wants to become the British electric company

Jaguar has been telegraphing its electric future for years, and this week we're beginning to see it come to fruition. The company's Formula E race team officially launched September 8 with sponsorship, livery, and an interesting name for its racecar, the I-Type 1. It marks Jaguar's return to factory-supported racing and serves as a model for the company's future strategy. "The Formula E championship will enable us to engineer and test our advanced technologies under extreme performance conditions," Nick Rogers, executive director of product engineering at Jaguar Land Rover, said in a statement. "We will apply this vital knowledge as part of our real-world development." Formula E competition starts October 9 as the all-electric racing series begins its third season. Panasonic signed on as the title sponsor of the team. Formula E is a natural move for Jag and allows the British company to remain true to its racing heritage while still looking toward. The company claims seven Le Mans titles, which is the fourth-most in history, even though it hasn't won one since 1990. That's a great lineage, but Jaguar knows it's getting dusty. Launching a Formula E effort allows it to compete in a form of motorsports that should prove relevant to road-car technology. Jag is drawing on Williams Advanced Engineering (you might have heard of its F1 team) for the electric powertrain. Williams also helped with the development of Jaguar's C-X75 plug-in concept car. Meanwhile, we also captured an F-Pace crossover silently testing this week in the Alps. Though it looks like a normal F-Pace, spy shooters report it was producing no engine noise, leading (or perhaps leaping) to the conclusion it's the rumored electric SUV Jaguar is working on. Likely, this prototype has a diesel engine as a range extender. View 11 Photos Though the camouflaged F-Pace is great fodder for speculation, Jag's electric efforts are not a secret. Jaguar and Land Rover showed off three electric-vehicle demonstrators last year and the company is exploring everything from mild hybrids to full electric powertrains. JLR has filed paperwork to secure trademarks for I-Pace and E-Pace. "JLR is definitely rushing headfirst into electrification," said Ed Kim, vice president of industry analysis for research firm AutoPacific.

Is Jaguar's 3 Series-fighter the brand's last chance?

The upcoming line of compact 3 Series-fighters from Jaguar, often referred to as the Jaguar XS, could consist of a sedan, wagon and possibly a coupe and GT model (think BMW 5 Series GT). The car's all-aluminum architecture also will provide the basis for two new sports utility vehicles. Just how important is the much-touted "baby Jag" project to parent company Jaguar Land Rover? A JLR executive reportedly says the brand's survival is directly linked to the success of the XS, codenamed X760, Autocar reports.
The brand's survival is directly linked to the success of the XS.
"If the X760 fails, it will probably be the end for the [Jaguar] brand," the executive says. But Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar's global brand director, claims Jaguar will "build the most advanced, most efficient, most refined car in that [compact luxury sedan] segment. Not almost as good as, but better than the best in the world."