After 15 years, Jaguar Land Rover is going to begin producing its own engines once again at a new $750 million Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) engine plant in Wolverhampton, England.
The first motor to roll off the line will be a new four-cylinder diesel, while a turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder will enter production at the plant 18 months later. Where these engines will end up is still a mystery, but the new small Jaguar sedan is a natural fit.
A series of ownership changes and poor sales led the Jaguar Land Rover brand astray and caused the company to stop producing its own engines in the late 1990′s. JLR is now owned by Indian automaker Tata and has been flourishing.
The company is not only building the new engine plant, but it is also hiring new talent. Wolfgang Ziebart, a 23-year BMW manufacturing and product development veteran has been brought on to help develop the new powerplants.
The new lineup of motors are expected to be lightweight and powerful, with displacements around 2.0 liters. ”We will probably set a new benchmark in terms of engine efficiency, weight and power per liter, and so on,” said Ziebart. He also says that the company is considering building a new three-cylinder engine, if the output can be made to match the four cylinder engines.
[Source: Automotive News]
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