JLR #2 - The SVO Business expands to increase staffing by an extra 250 people this year.

• Jaguar Land Rover is creating 250 jobs across its Special Operations division during 2016; an increase of nearly 25 per cent
• Special Operations is responsible for halo car products (Special Vehicle Operations), Vehicle Personalisation, classic car programmes by Jaguar Land Rover Classic and an exciting range of Branded Goods 
• Recruitment plan aligned to opening of new SVO Technical Centre and acquisition of new Jaguar Land Rover Classic headquarter facilities in UK

Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations today announces recruitment plans to support its ambitious growth strategy, with the creation of 250 new jobs this year.

Just two years after its creation in 2014, plans to increase the number of employees across Special Operations’ business areas is aligned to the £30m investment made in new headquarter facilities in the British Midlands for Special Vehicle Operations (£20m) and Jaguar Land Rover Classic (£7.5m).

John Edwards, Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations Managing Director, said: “Today we employ just over 1,000 designers, engineers and technicians across four divisions in Special Operations.

“The team is energetic, enthusiastic and entrepreneurial. They are the principal reason that we have made a strong start in business since 2014.

“Now we have new facilities, technologies, products and services in place to exceed the demands of our most discerning customers all over the world. I look forward to strengthening our team and delivering on this fantastic opportunity.”

Since June 2014, Special Vehicle Operations has successfully launched the Jaguar F-TYPE Project 7 and incredible new, 200mph-capble F-TYPE SVR, as well as the formidable Range Rover Sport SVR and luxurious Range Rover SVAutobiography. Sales of SVO products across both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands totalled more than 3,600 in the 2015/16 financial year.

John Edwards said: “Our business plans are driven by the desire for ‘halo’ vehicles and other exclusive products from customers in all corners of the globe. The vision for Special Vehicle Operations is to launch one new SVO car every year, on average, for at least the next four years.”

These new products will be crafted at the new £20m Special Vehicle Operations Technical Centre at Oxford Road in Coventry. The new centre will contain four new areas, with a Commissioning Suite and Viewing Suite where experts will guide customers through the design and creation of their new vehicles. These vehicles become reality in the newly-established Manufacturing Facility, Paint Facility and Technical Suite. These new facilities, and the people working there, will be responsible for building the cars that represent the very pinnacle of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, offering the ultimate in luxury, performance and capability.

Jaguar Land Rover Classic, which is responsible for the successful launches of continuation editions of the Jaguar Lightweight E-type and forthcoming XKSS, as well as the recent introduction of the Land Rover ‘Reborn’ restoration programme, will establish a new home in the British Midlands later this year, following acquisition of a new site near to the Special Vehicle Operations Technical Centre. The initial investment in this new facility totals £7.5m and the new site will house car sales, restorations, servicing and parts operations.

JLR #1 - SVO gets it's own manufacturing base to build, design & commission storming versions of existing cars.

• Brand new Technical Centre to undertake manufacturing, personalisation and commissioning programmes for Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations division
• New Technical Centre located near Coventry represents a £20m investment by Jaguar Land Rover
• Technical Centre comprises four zones: Manufacturing Facility, Paint Facility, Technical Suite and new VIP Commissioning and Viewing Suites 

Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) today officially opens its new Technical Centre in the heart of the British Midlands. The innovative new £20m facility near Coventry will be the headquarters of SVO and will house manufacturing, paint, technical and customer commissioning and presentation zones inside the 20,000m2 facility.

The new Technical Centre is significant representation of the growth of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations – the specialist division of Jaguar Land Rover created in June 2014 to build a business responsible for halo car products (SVO), Vehicle Personalisation, classic car programmes by Jaguar Land Rover Classic and an exciting range of Branded Goods. 

John Edwards, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, said: “The new Special Vehicle Operations Technical Centre is a major step forward in meeting the desires of our most discerning customers. There are more than 200 skilled employees here that are committed to outstanding quality and craftsmanship in everything they do.

“The SVO Technical Centre is very modern facility, inspired by a Formula 1 engineering centre. It covers 20,000 square metres including a manufacturing area, one of the world’s most eco-friendly and advanced paint shops, custom-built commissioning suite, technical suite, presentation suite and offices.

“This new Technical Centre enables us to build on the successful launches of the Range Rover Sport SVR, Range Rover SVAutobiography and Jaguar F-TYPE SVR , and provide an excellent foundation for the growth of the SVO business with the introduction of exciting new Vehicle Personalisation programmes.”

The Vision: Vehicle Personalisation

In future, customers will be able to visit the Technical Centre’s Bespoke Commissioning Suite by invitation, where they will explore the infinite range of possibilities for creating and customising their own Jaguar or Land Rover vehicle. A member of the Jaguar or Land Rover Design team will be on hand to assist the customer in the commissioning process.

Greg Clark, Director of Vehicle Personalisation said: “Our brand new facility delivers industry leading quality, precision and choice. We will encourage customers to participate in the design of their own vehicles, to give a real sense of emotional connection to something that they have created; something unique.

“Our aim is to progressively grow our portfolio to cater to, and exceed, the desires of our most discerning customers.”

The exclusive experience will continue through to the food served to customers visiting the Technical Centre. Michelin-starred chef Graham Edwards, who learned his trade in London’s West End and has previously worked with Raymond Blanc, is on hand to create a selection of dishes designed to suit the client or and utilising the very best of the Midlands’ regional ingredients.

The SVO story will continue in the Technical Centre once the customer has left, as their car is painted and hand-finished in the other three areas of the building.

The quality and attention to detail throughout the Technical Centre has been inspired by the exacting standards of the top level of motorsport. The workshop features a series of highly advanced workstations and has been created to enable the final assembly of SVO vehicles, by hand, to the highest possible quality.

McLaren Special Operations (MSO) introduces defined range of options.

• Five tiers identify the levels of bespoke work available to from MSO as the company embraces an unprecedented period of growth
• Differing levels of personalisation offer complete tailoring of any McLaren model through MSO Bespoke, MSO Heritage, MSO Limited and MSO Programmes
• New Defined range to include a line of series options available on all new McLaren models  

McLaren Special Operations (MSO) has announced a range of available series options for the McLaren 650S, and Asia-only 625C, under the newly established ‘MSO Defined’ division. This forms the first of five tiers of personalisation and support offered by MSO, catering for the needs of all McLaren customers, and joins MSO Bespoke, specialising in one-off models; MSO Limited, producing limited-edition series production cars; MSO Heritage, focused on the maintenance and storage of historic cars; and MSO Programmes which includes the McLaren P1™ GTR.

“There is a strong desire for drivers to personalise their cars and I’m convinced that the introduction of MSO Defined line will prove popular amongst our customers,” explains Paul Mackenzie, Executive Director of McLaren Special Operations. “Every McLaren is unique but now, with more choice than ever before, we are enabling our customers to truly express themselves through their vehicles.”

MSO DEFINED

The MSO Defined category of personalisation includes an aerodynamic kit, designed to enhance the purposeful design of the groundbreaking McLaren 650S, to subtle carbon fibre interior upgrades. The exterior styling can be modified with an addition of a carbon fibre rear diffuser and extended side door blades that premiered on the limited-edition MSO 650S earlier in the year.

Weight-saving options in the form of a full carbon fibre rear deck and mirror arms are also available, while new interior options include extended carbon fibre shift paddles and a redesigned instrument cluster with Formula 1™ inspired shift lights mounted on the instrument cluster that have been created in response to a popular demand from track day enthusiasts.

MSO BESPOKE

MSO Bespoke provides an almost limitless level of customisation to McLaren owners, including unique paint, leather and stitching colours, stand-alone upholstery and body changes to create truly bespoke vehicles.

Since launching the 650S earlier this year, 20 percent of vehicles produced at the McLaren Production Centre have included a degree of MSO Bespoke content. This number rises to approximately 95 percent for the McLaren P1™, with each one of the 375 examples being unique to its owner in some way.

The division was also responsible for the McLaren X-1, a one-off car that had to be specially designed and engineered, including on-road testing and homologation.

MSO LIMITED

The limited-run and special edition examples of the 650S and 12C produced by MSO are designed, developed and produced under ‘MSO Limited’.  Models produced include the McLaren 50 12C and 12C Spider, built to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the McLaren brand in 2013 and, more recently, the MSO 650S, which debuted at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

MSO HERITAGE

McLaren Special Operations, as it is known today, was launched at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2011. However, a division was first set up as the McLaren Customer Care Programme in the 1990s to service, maintain and personalise the McLaren F1 for owners. This service continues at McLaren, and is now managed by the MSO Heritage team, offering an unrivalled level of knowledge and expertise on the McLaren F1, and also working with Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren models

MSO PROGRAMMES

Finally, the recently-launched MSO Programmes division encompasses the upcoming McLaren P1™ GTR Driver Programme. Each car will be built, maintained and prepared by MSO in advance of the exclusive track days held at the world’s most iconic Formula 1™ circuits.