The XE, built on 165,000m2 state-of-the-art facilities, includes Europe’s largest aluminium body shop.
The opening of its body shop and trim and final facilities – which represent the largest single investment in the Solihull plant in its 70-year history, was commemorated on Monday by employees who took part in a celebration of the company’s motoring brands.
Solihull operations director Alan Volkaerts was joined by British motor racing driver Sir Stirling Moss OBE, Jaguar’s highly-regarded test driver, Norman Dewis OBE, who developed 25 significant Jaguar cars and Land Rover aficionado Quentin Willson.
The Jaguar XE, which represents the culmination of more than £2bil of product, infrastructure and technology investment, has been heralded as vitally important for the British automotive supply chain thanks to an additional £4bil worth of contracts committed to 55 British-based tier one suppliers. Together these suppliers, which cover the length and breadth of the country, have provided 55% of the components to this all-new model in the Jaguar line-up.
The start of XE production at the Solihull plant is the first step in making the site a dual-branded manufacturing operation. Earlier this year, the company confirmed its Jaguar performance crossover, the F-PACE is to be built at the site.
