The first Jaguar F-TYPE customer cars have left Jaguar Land Rover’s Castle Bromwich manufacturing facility. 

The all-new sports car has resulted in contracts worth £2.8 billion being placed with companies internationally, with in excess of £1.5 billion placed with companies in the UK.  

Contracts have been awarded to more than 270 companies globally following the completion of a global competitive tendering exercise on component sourcing for the vehicle. Of these, 116 are based in the UK and 50 per cent are from the Midlands.

Jaguar Land Rover has created almost 9,000 new jobs in the UK over the last two years, including 2,000 new engineers and 350 to directly support the new F-TYPE. The contracts awarded to support the F-TYPE are expected to create thousands more new skilled jobs across the UK’s automotive supply chain.

Ian Harnett, Jaguar Land Rover’s Purchasing Director said: “As one of the leading investors in automotive research and development in the UK, Jaguar Land Rover generates several billion pounds of economic activity here every year. 

“As today’s announcement demonstrates we are working with world-class suppliers to strengthen the UK automotive supply base and support our ambitious plans for growth in the future.”

Destined for customers around the world, the new Jaguar F-TYPE vehicles were loaded onto a train at the company’s onsite rail facility at Castle Bromwich earlier today. With sales in over 170 countries, Jaguar Land Rover generates export revenues approaching £11 billion each year, making it one of the UK’s largest exporters by value. 

It anticipates that it will export over 75 per cent of Jaguar F-TYPE vehicles produced. The USA is expected to be the largest market with almost half of all sales, closely followed by the UK and Germany.

Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar’s Global Brand Director, added: “Since we unveiled the car last year, the level of customer interest in the F-TYPE has been unprecedented. It is a very proud moment for us to see some of the very first customer cars leave our Castle Bromwich facility today.”

The Jaguar F-TYPE has been designed, engineered and manufactured in the West Midlands, UK. 

Last month, almost 450 potential customers were given an exclusive insight into the F-TYPE and a behind the scenes tour of the Castle Bromwich factory. Jaguar Land Rover has invested significantly in its Castle Bromwich manufacturing facility to create the fastest and most advanced Jaguar sports car production line for the F-TYPE.

F-TYPE production has been incorporated into the manufacturing operation at Castle Bromwich to maximise capacity, technology and skills at the plant. Jaguar Land Rover has utilised and enhanced the manufacturing techniques and technologies employed for the Jaguar XK production, while introducing new equipment and processes specifically required for the F-TYPE. 

The all-aluminium construction of the F-TYPE is carried out in Castle Bromwich’s 14,000 square metre body shop which employs manufacturing techniques adapted from the aerospace industry.