Jaguar Land Rover declined to comment on a newspaper report that it is in talks with Ford Motor and BMW to build a battery plant in the UK.
JLR executives have met Ford and BMW officials about collaborating on a plant with the capacity to supply “several hundred thousand vehicles,” the Sunday Times paper reported.
JLR may launch an electric Jaguar crossover next year, UK auto press reports have said and it would follow in the tracks of the Range Rover hybrid model.
Financial analysts Evercore ISI said it makes sense for JLR to seek a partnership with other automakers to share the high costs of battery development and production.
When contacted by Automotive News Europe about the Sunday Times report, a JLR spokesperson said, “We do not comment on speculation.”
BMW denied it is talks for joint battery production but Thailand says the German manufacturer is looking at a possible venture, while Ford was unavailable for comment said the paper.
The possible JLR move into electric power comes after it revealed plans for an electric turbo system and rivals have indicated they want to have EV models in their ranges by 2020 to meet future emissions regulations and satisfy demand in China which has decided it wants a massive drive towards EV models to remove pollution from its cities.
Renault-Nissan has a traction battery plant adjacent to its Sunderland car plant where it makes the LEAF and will supply future models for Renault as well as Infiniti.
