Jaguar Land Rover To Open New Engine Plant In UK

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced it will open a new AU$515 million engine facility in Staffordshire, with a focus on low-emission four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines.

The news comes after Jaguar revealed its C-X16 coupe at this week's Frankfurt Motor Show, along with the unveiling of Land Rover's DC100 Defender concepts.

"As we invest £1.5 billion a year for the next five years on new product developments, expanding our engine range will help us realise the full global potential of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands," JLR CEO Dr Ralf Speth said.

"The all-new family of 4 cylinder engines will increase JLR's capability to offer high performance engines with class-leading levels of refinement, whilst ensuring continued significant reductions in vehicle emissions."

Last year, Jaguar launched its new XJ flagship, which it followed earlier this year with the updated XF. In the coming years, the Indian-owned carmaker will launch a production version of its popular C-X16 concept, along with a limited run of its C-X75 supercar.

For Jaguar's Land Rover stablemate, an all-new Range Rover is expected to debut in the next year, while a replacement for the iconic Defender - previewed by the recent DC100 concept duo - is scheduled for a 2015 launch.