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Jaguar Land Rover's car range will be fully electric by 2030 as the carmaker joins a global race to develop zero-emission models to get ahead of looming bans on sales of new fossil-fuel vehicles.
JLR, owned by India's Tata Motors, said on Monday the Jaguar brand will lead the way with a fully electric model range built on a brand-new electric platform by 2025.
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Known for its iconic, high-performance E-Type model in the 1960s and 1970s, Jaguar faces the challenge of many other carmakers - making the transition to electric vehicles while retaining the feeling and power of a luxury combustion engine model.
Land Rover will launch six pure electric models in the next five years with the first one coming in 2024, JLR said.
JLR said that as it electrifies its model range, it will keep all three of its British plants open.
But Thierry Bollore, who took over as chief executive in September, said the carmaker's Castle Bromwich plant in central England would focus on "non-production" activities in the long term. He provided few details.
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"It's time to re-imagine the next chapter for both brands... British brands steeped in a rich tapestry of timeless designs," Bollore said.
JLR said it will spend around 2.5 billion pounds ($3.5 billion) annually on electrification technologies and development of connected vehicle services.
Shares in Tata Motors rose as much as 3% after the announcement.
JLR said it was also investing in developing hydrogen fuel cells in anticipation of a future shift to hydrogen to power vehicles. The carmaker said it will have prototypes using hydrogen fuel cells on Britain's roads within the next year as part of a long-range investment plan.
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The plans come as car groups worldwide pursue zero-emission strategies to meet stringent CO2 emission targets in Europe and China. A number of countries have also announced bans on new fossil-fuel vehicle sales - in the United Kingdom that ban should take effect in 2030.
In November, luxury car brand Bentley Motors, owned by Germany's Volkswagen, said its model range will be fully electric by 2030.
Last month, General Motors Co said it aimed to have a zero-emission lineup by 2035.
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The carmaker said it was a "on a path towards" a double-digit operating profit and positive cash flow and aims to achieve positive cash excluding debt by 2025.
JLR said it aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its supply chain, products and operations by 2039.
