Researched and written 17 October 2026. Sources are listed at the end.
A stop and a restart
A cyber incident stopped JLR's manufacturing in the autumn of 2025. The company's phased restart began on 8 October 2025 at the Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre near Wolverhampton and the Battery Assembly Centre. Staff went back to the stamping operations at Castle Bromwich, Halewood and Solihull the same week.
Alongside the restart JLR set up a financing scheme to pay qualifying suppliers early while production came back.
The Range Rover Electric
In September 2026 JLR unveiled the Range Rover Electric at Solihull, where it is built: the brand's first fully electric model in its 56-year history. The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce reported a 118.5kWh battery, a WLTP range of up to 372 miles and around 9,000 Solihull staff trained for electrification.
What the other sites do
Whitley in Coventry is the global headquarters and the home of Powertrain Engineering. Gaydon is the principal design and engineering centre. Fen End, near Kenilworth, is the SV headquarters with a test track. Oxford Road at Ryton holds JLR Classic and the SV Technical Centre. Castle Bromwich is being expanded to press body panels for every brand.
Batteries and electric motors
JLR said in May 2024 that it had spent £356 million turning its i54 plant near Wolverhampton electric. By September 2026 the plant was making battery packs alongside combustion engines. At Hams Hall, near Coleshill, JLR's visitor page says the Battery Assembly Centre will use 4 million battery cells a day at capacity.
Staying near the work
Our nearest house to the Whitley headquarters is about 2 miles away by road. Ryton is about 3 miles, Fen End about 12 miles and Solihull about 17 miles, each measured from the nearest of the four homes.
Sources: media.jlr.com/corporate/news/2025/10/jlr-restarts-manufacturing-and-introduces-new-financing-solution-pay-jlr-suppliers; greaterbirminghamchambers.com/resource/jlr-unveils-first-fully-electric-range-rover-at-solihull-plant.html; careers.jaguarlandrover.com/where-we-are/united-kingdom. Distances by road from each house, worked out on OpenStreetMap.
