Jaguar Land Rover creates new Special Operations division for halo vehicles, bespoke commissions

Fri, 13 Jun 2014

Jaguar Land Rover has announced that a new division of the British manufacturer will be dedicated to "bespoke commissions," as well as heritage products and apparel. Oh, and the new Special Operations division will also be behind JLR's halo cars from now on.

It's that last one that is the most tantalizing, as the last real halo product to see production from Jaguar was the XJ220. The Range Rover, meanwhile, has always had its own kind of halo reputation, although the Land Rover brand itself has never really gotten into the game with a dedicated model.

According to JLR, the new halo models will focus on ultra-high performance and luxury with a limited run of vehicles. The bespoke models, meanwhile, will give the wealthiest customers full sway over how vehicles are outfitted, with unique paints, trims and other accessories. The new SpecOps division will be run by John Edwards.

"As a business, we are completely focused on enhancing and personalizing the relationship our most discerning and enthusiastic customers have with our brands," Edwards said. "By creating Special Operations we can harness the very best talent and expertise Jaguar Land Rover has – to deliver exceptional products and services our customers will love for life."

The establishment of this new group has also necessitated an investment in a new technical center, to be established in England's West Midlands, which will come to employ a team of 150.

Take a look below for the official press release from Jaguar Land Rover. Then, hop into Comments, and let us know what you want to see from Special Operations. Perhaps a revival of the Jaguar C-X75 project? How about a production run of the Project 7, shown above? Maybe the long-rumored Range Rover Sport RS? Let us know by scrolling down.

JAGUAR LAND ROVER CREATED CUSTOMER FOCUSED SPECIAL OPERATIONS TEAM BASED AT NEW DEDICATED TECHNICAL CENTER

Jaguar Land Rover creates a new Special Operations team to meet the increasing needs and aspirations of today's discerning customers
Special Operations will focus on delivering halo vehicles, bespoke commissions, heritage products and branded goods
Jaguar Land Rover will invest in a new state-of-the-art Technical Center in the West Midlands

(WHITLEY, COVENTRY UK) - June 12, 2014 - A new business division, Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, has been created to focus on meeting the increasing expectations of today's most discerning and enthusiastic customers.

Under the lead of John Edwards, Special Operations will offer a range of products and services:

Halo vehicles that showcase the best of both brands, including high performance derivatives, ultra luxury products and limited run collector editions
Truly bespoke commissions and an extended choice of color and trim specifications and accessories
Heritage products from vehicle recreations, servicing and restorations, through to the creation and provision of heritage parts
A new portfolio of branded goods that will engage with a wide audience of current and potential customers
Jaguar Land Rover's Chief Executive, Dr Ralf Speth, commented, "The creation of Jaguar Land Rover's Special Operations demonstrates our continued commitment to placing customers at the heart of everything we do. This investment in exciting and desirable products will reinforce the global reputation of both Jaguar and Land Rover brands."

"As a business, we are completely focused on enhancing and personalizing the relationship our most discerning and enthusiastic customers have with our brands," said John Edwards, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations. "By creating Special Vehicle Operations we can harness the very best talent and expertise Jaguar Land Rover has - to deliver exceptional products and services our customers will love for life."

The Special Operations team of expert designers and engineers will be led by Paul Newsome, Director of Special Vehicle Operations, recently recruited from Williams Advanced Engineering. Working on present and future vehicle portfolios, the team will create halo vehicles ranging from high luxury to extreme performance.

To support the delivery of these products, Jaguar Land Rover will be investing in a new dedicated Technical Center, located in the West Midlands area of the UK, close to the current headquarters.

A team of 150 Jaguar Land Rover specialists will be based at the new Technical Center. Its unique facilities will feature a customer commissioning suite for bespoke services and premium vehicle personalization, Formula 1-inspired flexible workshops and a fully automated paint facility.

In addition, a new heritage workshop will be created at Browns Lane in Coventry, the spiritual home of Jaguar. This will be the production site for the six recently announced lightweight E-Type re-creations and will also allow the newly formed heritage team to expand its servicing and restoration services. The newly expanded heritage business will be open from August 1, 2014.

By Brandon Turkus