Britain | Charge sheet

A big battery investment is good news for British carmaking

But Jaguar Land Rover’s expansion may not stop long-term decline

Range Rover sports utility vehicles in a light tunnel at the Jaguar Land Rover manufacturing plant in Solihull, UK.
Image: Getty Images

A “shot in the arm” for the car industry was how the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, an industry body, described the news on July 19th that Tata, an Indian conglomerate that owns Jaguar Land Rover (jlr), would locate a new battery “gigafactory” in Britain. The choice of Somerset over Spain, also considered by Tata, lifted the mood among carmakers in a country where the shots have largely been aimed at the foot of late.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Charge sheet”

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