According to Jaguar Land Rover, the company is transferring its AJ Series engine production lines from the closing Ford factory in Bridgend, South Wales, to its own site in Wolverhampton, West Midlands – before the planned switch to BMW powertrains, anyway.
The AJ is a supercharged 5.0L V8 engine designed by Ford a quarter of a century ago and later polished by British engineers. Transferring its production capacities to another site will take time, but JLR assures us it has enough engines stockpiled in Bridgend right now not to worry about possible deficit.
On a strategic scale, the corporation is planning to phase out the antiquated AJ-V8 model within the next three to five years, adopting cleaner and more hybrid-friendly BMW mills instead. The next-gen Range Rover, which is going to be announced in a year, is the likeliest LR vehicle to get the first Bavarian-made engine.
It is worth pointing out that gasoline V8s are important for the image of JLR as a car marque. The corporation especially caters to customers in markets like Russia, United States and Middle East countries where the environmental legislations aren’t as strict as in the EU.
Take a look into our gallery and watch the video if you would like a brief overview of the Jaguar XE SV Project 8, the company’s most powerful AJ-V8 vehicle right now. The sporty sedan exerts 600 hp (447 kW) and holds the Nürburgring record in the “Mid-size Light Passenger Car” category.