Jaguar Land Rover to invest in UK EV facility

The plan to build electric cars in Britain will be a shot in the arm to an industry deflated by Brexit-related uncertainty. 

Jaguar Land Rover announced Friday that it will retool an existing production facility in central England for the production of electrified vehicles, providing some reprieve for the UK auto industry after years of Brexit uncertainty.

Located in Castle Bromwich, the revamped facility will eventually produce "[...] a range of new electrified vehicles," the announcement said.

It also confirmed one of those vehicles to be the next-generation Jaguar XJ sedan, which was briefly rumored to be going electric-only until the company clarified that gasoline-powered models will be available later in the model run.

Not only does this announcement cement the next steps in the British automaker's electrification strategy, but it also promises to preserve jobs in an industry with a seriously uncertain future in Britain.

The company plans to have a new battery production center up and running in 2020. Renovation and tooling for the production of individual vehicles will follow.