By Caribbean News Global
LONDON, England – Jaguar Land Rover Automotive plc has received a £500 million Export Development Guarantee which will support the research, development and export of Battery Electric Vehicles, International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said, January 31.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, secretary of state for international trade said:
“We are backing our ambitious net zero plans with more concrete action. We want our carmakers to accelerate the production of electric vehicles in the UK. This deal from UK Export Finance will help Jaguar Land Rover continue to sell the Best of British to the world, while creating jobs, boosting manufacturing and levelling up across the UK.”
The press release from UK Export Finance said: “UK Export Finance (UKEF) guaranteed 80 percent of a new £625 million loan from 12 commercial banks, under its Export Development Guarantee (EDG) program designed to drive major investments into UK exporters,” adding. “Backing electric car production in the UK is a key part of the prime minister’s Ten Point Plan for a green industrial revolution. The government is also directly investing more than £850 million to develop the supply chain for cleaner vehicles in the UK to ensure our auto industry remains competitive for years to come and has supported over £2 billion of commercial investment into the industry’s export capacity through UKEF.”
Jaguar Land Rover is one of the UK’s largest exporters and employs over 28,000 staff based in the UK. Over 80 percent of the vehicles built by Jaguar Land Rover in the UK are sold to the world and three of its seven global technology hubs are based in Manchester, Warwick and London. In 2020-21, the company sold 439,588 vehicles in 127 countries, with about 80 percent of its sales to export markets outside the UK.
“This loan will support Jaguar Land Rover’s plans to invest about £2.5 billion a year, expected to reach £3 billion by March 2026, to increase the number of Battery Electric Vehicles in its model lineup under its Reimagine Strategy,” said UK Export Finance in a press release published Sunday, January 31.
Exports minister, Mike Freer MP, said:
“Jaguar Land Rover is one of Britain’s biggest car manufacturers. It supports the livelihoods of thousands of people across the country, and its success is underpinned by exports. UK Export Finance has secured another major investment for the UK automotive industry that will safeguard jobs and prioritise sustainability.”
Jaguar Land Rover was previously the first UK company to participate in UKEF’s EDG programme in 2019 and has now received over £1 billion of loans under this programme. Since the last loan was issued, Jaguar Land Rover has significantly accelerated its plans for expanding its lineup of fully electric vehicles under its new Reimagine Strategy with plans to offer new all-electric Jaguar models from 2025 and six pure electric Land Rover variants over the next five years, reads the press release.
Adrian Mardell, Jaguar Land Rover’s chief financial officer, said:
“Jaguar Land Rover is pleased to have worked again with UK Export Finance on this new EDG facility. This will help support the significant investment in our transition to offer a fully electrified product portfolio and to achieve our target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2039.”