Pretoria, South Africa – 27 January 2025: Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the UK’s largest luxury vehicle manufacturer, is doubling down on sustainability and personalisation with a transformative £65 million investment in its global paint operations. This strategic move addresses surging demand for bespoke vehicle finishes while advancing the company’s ambitious net-zero goals.
Meeting a Growing Demand for Bespoke Luxury
Personalisation has become a cornerstone of the luxury vehicle experience. Since FY22, JLR has witnessed an unprecedented doubling of demand for bespoke colour options, particularly across its Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models. This year, sales of the exclusive Range Rover SV have also doubled, reflecting clients’ desire for customisation.
In response, JLR will expand its paint facilities at Castle Bromwich, UK, and Nitra, Slovakia, increasing capacity to handle an additional 17,000 bespoke client orders annually. For the first time, its most exclusive paint options will also be available across JLR’s other brands, marking a pivotal step in its journey toward providing unparalleled personalisation.
Cutting-Edge Upgrades at Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich, located in the heart of the UK’s Midlands, will become the hub of JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) paint facilities. A £41 million transformation, including £26 million allocated for new, highly efficient application booths, will be completed in 2025.
The upgrades will feature:
- State-of-the-art spray robots that reduce paint waste by 30% compared to traditional hand-painting methods.
- Enhanced filtration systems that minimise water and energy usage.
- Significant energy and water savings, reinforcing JLR’s commitment to reducing environmental impact.
These advancements will support the SV Bespoke Paint Matching Service, offering clients the ultimate personalisation experience by enabling vehicles to be customised to match unique colours, including those of private jets and yachts. On average, this service adds £70,000 to the £202,000 base price of a Range Rover SV, epitomising exclusivity and craftsmanship.
Innovation and Sustainability in Slovakia
JLR’s Slovakian plant in Nitra, where Defender and Discovery models are manufactured, is set to receive a £24 million expansion. This includes the construction of a groundbreaking electric universal paint line, the first of its kind in Slovakia and for JLR.
Key features include:
- Electric curing ovens, reducing CO₂ emissions by 500 tonnes annually.
- A Smart Oven control system that optimises energy usage, automatically shutting down during inactivity.
- A heat exchanger to recover and reuse heat from flue gases, saving £750,000 annually and avoiding 2,250 tonnes of CO₂ emissions—the equivalent of 2,200 barrels of oil.
These innovations align with JLR’s long-term ambition to transition from gas-powered to lower-carbon, renewable energy sources. The new facility will also create 120 jobs in the region, with the first vehicles from the expanded paint line expected in 2026.
Sustainability at the Forefront
Paint shops are among the most carbon-intensive areas of automotive manufacturing, accounting for approximately 80% of operational emissions. JLR’s investments aim to turn this challenge into an opportunity for significant environmental impact reduction.
Andrea Debbane, Chief Sustainability Officer at JLR, stated:
“JLR is seeing a significant increase in clients wanting to personalise their vehicles, so we are preparing to expand our facilities and offer thousands more paint options across our brands, but doing so in the most sustainable and efficient way possible.”
Jamal Hameedi, Director of SVO, added:
“SVO is all about offering our clients unparalleled performance, luxury, and capability. By increasing our capacity, we can satisfy the demand growth from our Range Rover clients and also expand this service for the first time to clients of our other brands.”
Reimagining Luxury with Responsibility
This £65 million investment represents a key pillar of JLR’s Reimagine strategy, which prioritises sustainability and innovation. By reimagining one of the most energy-intensive processes in automotive manufacturing, JLR is driving forward its vision of delivering bespoke luxury while paving the way for a more sustainable future.
