The Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plans to introduce new electric models soon. Reports suggest they might use platforms called M3X and E0X from China’s Chery Group-owned Exeed for these upcoming models.
Chery Group president Yin Tongyao confirmed the news. He said that JLR and Chery Group-owned Exeed has extended the contract. As a result, Jaguar Land Rover now has the freedom to use both platforms.
JLR and Chery have been partners in China for 12 years. They joined together in 2012 to make Jaguar Land Rover cars in China. Their shared factory began operating in 2014 and is still running. JLR engineers provided Chery with significant help on the suspension setup. Also, Land Rover vehicles greatly inspired Chery designers. Now, it’s Chery’s chance to return the favor and assist Jaguar Land Rover.
Exeed confirmed that Jaguar Land Rover will use two main platforms created by Chery engineers.
M3X Modular Architecture
The first platform is the M3X modular architecture, also known as T2X in China for its second generation. Chery developed this platform with assistance from German Bentler. It comes with both internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).
The platform is known as a ‘Super Hybrid’ and has been used in several Chery cars, including the Exeed RX PHEV and Chery Fulwin T9.
According to the report, the platform can handle 11 gear combinations and achieve nine operating modes over a range of 1000 km. It also provides a thermal efficiency of 44.5%.
Some reports suggested that Jaguar Land Rover might use the mentioned platforms for their upcoming electric cars. These EVs could be part of the Range Rover, Discovery, and Defender series. However, the company has not officially confirmed these details yet.
E0X Modular Architecture
Jaguar Land Rover will adopt a second modular architecture called E0X. This chassis was developed in collaboration between Chery and Huawei. Currently, it serves as the foundation for four vehicles: Exlantix ES, Exlantix ET, Luxeed S7, and Luxeed R7.
This platform supports different types of vehicle bodies and works well for battery electric (BEV) and extended-range electric (EREV) cars.
E0X uses an 800V high-voltage system, has an energy consumption of 12 kWh/100 km, and features advanced autonomous driving technology. These are some of the significant benefits of using this platform. Overall, E0X is a sophisticated platform designed for Jaguar Land Rover’s electric cars.
Wrapping Up
Jaguar Land Rover, owned by Tata Motors of India, has been slower to adopt new energy vehicles. The only BEV, the Jaguar I-Pace, was introduced six years ago. During this time, JLR’s sales have been gradually declining.
This issue is particularly problematic in China, where there is a strong trend towards NEVs. This is why the Tata-owned automaker sought assistance from Chery. It’s likely that Jaguars and Land Rovers based on the M3X and E0X platforms will be sold exclusively in the Chinese market to meet the preferences of local customers.
