Jaguar's Reimagine Plan
Image source: https://www.jaguarlandrover.com/reimagine
JLR's new global strategy is going to be a wild shift from its traditional plans.
The electric car market will have six new models to add to its growing ranks. The car manufacturing giant has announced that 60% of their Land Rover car sales will be electric by 2030, with fully electric vehicles being available as soon as 2024.
Autocar states, "Jaguar will become an electric-only brand from 2025 onwards". In 2024, the very first all-electric Land Rover will be making its debut with five further models to be introduced in the following months.
Jaguar Land Rover has announced that the business will go even further than simply offering electric alternatives to traditional ICE vehicles. By 2029, JLR strives to be net zero carbon, without closing any of the current manufacturing plants.
Interestingly, despite a change in CEO JLR remains committed to the Reimagine plan with a focus on becoming a more luxurious brand. This comes with a shift to a direct-to-customer approach to effectively oversee the entire sales process with each customer.
Before his departure, ex-CEO Bolloré confirmed that the iconic Defender, Range Rover, and Discovery models will all be part of the company's electric future.
Mercedes-Benz's 90% Commitment
Has Mercedes-Benz stated that it will be all-electric by 2030? Yes.
Is that true?
The Group Mercedes-Benz website states, "From 2025 onwards, all newly launched vehicle architectures will be electric-only". So, yes, Mercedes are committed to introducing electric vehicle options throughout its range of luxury models.
However, the next line reads, "Mercedes-Benz intends to manage this accelerated transformation while sticking to its profitability targets." In translation, this means in countries where EV demand is lacking, customers will still be able to buy more traditional ICE vehicles.
This is comparable to GM stating they would work towards being carbon neutral by 2040, without committing to ceasing the sale of ICE vehicles.
In spite of this, Mercedes will invest approximately €40 billion in battery electric vehicles before 2030. So, we can expect to see a strong commitment to EVs in the future by Mercedes-Benz in the UK.
Alfa Romeo Spearheads Stellantis
Image source: https://www.stellantis.com/en/brands/alfa-romeo
The parent company of Alfa Romeo, Stellantis, announced that Alfa Romeo would be the first of their 14 brands to go fully electric by 2027.
This is an exceptionally fast timeline in order to make their global volume of vehicles 80% electric. Yes, this includes Dodge who aims to unveil the world's first EV 'muscle car' in 2024.
It is expected that the first EV model to be seen from Alfa will be a crossover, although this is yet to be announced officially. The traditional, and often quirky, Alfa Romeo we are used to seeing will soon be changing!
Bentley's Beyond 100
Image source: https://www.bentleymotors.com/en/world-of-bentley/beyond-100/a-sustainable-future.html
Arguably the most shocking on this list is the announcement by Bentley that they will be completely abandoning ICE vehicles by 2030, with goals to make plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles their only new car sales by 2026.
This is particularly exciting (and immensely ambitious) considering they currently offer just one plug-in hybrid and no EVs!
The Beyond 100 strategic plan was announced in November 2020 with plans to offer sustainable luxury.
The plan reads, "Driving this change includes, and also goes beyond our products, delivering a paradigm shift throughout our business, with credibility, authenticity, and integrity. Within a decade, Bentley will transform from a 100-year-old luxury car company to a new, sustainable, wholly ethical role model for luxury.”
The Beyond 100 plan announces that Bentley will go from the world's largest manufacturer of 12-cylinder engines to abandoning ICE vehicles within just 10 years. They have already transformed their HQ into the only carbon-neutral luxury car factory in the UK.
The Flying Spur S comes in either a 4-litre V8 petrol or 2.9-litre V6 hybrid engine. The hybrid has 536 break horsepower, so you don't need to compromise on power if you make the switch to a hybrid Bentley.
Toyota's Surprising Sixteen
Toyota's history with the development of EVs has been notably lacking. They announced a stronger investment in hydrogen with the Hydrogen Mobility Europe project (H2ME) in order to make it easier for hydrogen-fuelled vehicles to refill at fuelling stations.
However, they have launched their first all-electric vehicle. The BZ4X starts at £43,000 and is an SUV-crossover and the four-wheel drive option has a real range of between 210 and 286 miles.
It doesn't stop with the BZ4X. Toyota shocked everyone at a media briefing in Japan in 2021 when they announced a line-up of 16 EVs. This includes the Compact Cruiser EV, BZ4X, and even the Proace Electric and Proace City Electric vans.
Notable Mentions
Mini currently offers the Mini Cooper EV and BMW aim to be all-electric by 2030.
Volvo currently offers the C0 Recharge starting at £47,105. They aim to be fully electric by 2030 with SUVs like the XC100 coming out in 2024.
Audi is slightly behind with their ambitions to go electric by 2033, ceasing production of their final new ICE in 2026.
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