Jaguar Land Rover SVO Technical Centre opens

Jaguar Land Rover has officially opened its new SVO Technical Centre near Coventry in the UK, at a cost of £20 million.

Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) is the division responsible for Jaguar Land Rover's halo models, and much of its work – vehicle personalisation, classic-car programmes and branded goods – will be coordinated from within the Technical Centre.

As the centrepiece for the division, the new facility is spread over four zones: manufacturing, paint, a technical suite and a VIP commissioning/viewing suite.

"The new Special Vehicle Operations Technical Centre is a major step forward in meeting the desires of our most discerning customers," says John Edwards, SVO's MD.

"There are more than 200 skilled employees here that are committed to outstanding quality and craftsmanship in everything they do.

"The SVO Technical Centre is a very modern facility, inspired by a Formula 1 engineering centre. It covers 20,000 square metres including a manufacturing area, one of the world's most eco-friendly and advanced paint shops, custom-built commissioning suite, technical suite, presentation suite and offices.

"This new Technical Centre enables us to build on the successful launches of the Range Rover Sport SVR, Range Rover SVAutobiography and Jaguar F-TYPE SVR , and provide an excellent foundation for the growth of the SVO business with the introduction of exciting new Vehicle Personalisation programmes."

Customers will be invited to attend the commissioning suite for the planning of each personalised car. Paint options are a highlight of that personalisation process and SVO will pair up each customer with a 'colour-matching specialist'.

"Our brand new facility delivers industry leading quality, precision and choice," says Greg Clark, SVO's Director of Vehicle Personalisation.

"We will encourage customers to participate in the design of their own vehicles, to give a real sense of emotional connection to something that they have created; something unique.

"Our aim is to progressively grow our portfolio to cater to, and exceed, the desires of our most discerning customers."

Those discerning customers will enjoy fine dining provided by a Michelin-starred chef named Graham Edwards as they ponder how their acquisition should look and feel.

Jaguar Land Rover claims the SVO's paint facility at the technical centre is one of the most environmentally friendly in the world. Measuring 12,000m² and accommodating 546m of conveyor belts, the facility is also the largest zone in the technical centre. Baking ovens use so little gas, the difference could heat 65,560 homes over the course of a year, JLR claims. And using dry recycled cardboard filters saves 2.6 million litres of water each year – roughly the same volume as an Olympic pool.

Coinciding with the official opening of the Technical Centre, JLR has announced that SVO is set to grow by nearly 25 per cent from its current level of 1000 employees. That will be an extra 250 jobs created within the organisation by the end of this year.

"Today we employ just over 1,000 designers, engineers and technicians across four divisions in Special Operations," said John Edwards.

"The team is energetic, enthusiastic and entrepreneurial. They are the principal reason that we have made a strong start in business since 2014.

"Now we have new facilities, technologies, products and services in place to exceed the demands of our most discerning customers all over the world. I look forward to strengthening our team and delivering on this fantastic opportunity."

The opening of the Technical Centre, which has been long planned, will help JLR capitalise on sales of SVO models in the line-up – over 3600 vehicles in the 2015/16 financial year. These include the F-TYPE SVR and Range Rover SVAutobiography. But it won't stop there.

"Our business plans are driven by the desire for 'halo' vehicles and other exclusive products from customers in all corners of the globe," says Edwards.

"The vision for Special Vehicle Operations is to launch one new SVO car every year, on average, for at least the next four years."

While 200 of the new staff will be let loose in the Technical Centre, the balance of staff recruited will work at Jaguar Land Rover Classic, which is located near the Technical Centre and recently built the final six lightweight E-Types from original drawings.

The expansion of SVO with the opening of the Technical Centre places Jaguar Land Rover on a similar footing with its German rivals, such as Mercedes-AMG.