JLR to use Chinese Chery platforms for future electrified models

The Chinese car manufacturer Chery confirmed that Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will use its M3X and E0X modular platforms for future battery-electric and plug-in cars, which will probably be sold mainly in China. To that end, JLR has signed a strategic agreement with Chery brand Exeed.

JLR, owned by Indian Tata Motors, will use two of Chery’s modular architectures. The first one, M3X, is dedicated to combustion engine and plug-in hybrid models.

The second platform, E0X, was jointly developed by Chery and Huawei. It covers the A to C segment with various body shapes and can be used for purely battery-electric cars and Extended Range Electric Vehicles (EREVs).

M3X

The M3X platform can house combustion engine drivetrains and plug-in hybrids. In the second case, CarNewsChina explains that the platform combines a “gasoline-powered ICE paired with two electric motors via a 3DHT165 gearbox”.

This so-called “Super Hybrid” offers nine operating modes, 11 gear combinations, a range of more than 1,000 kilometers, and a thermal efficiency of 44.5%.

In February this year, JLR said it would focus more on plug-in hybrids than pure EVs. Initially, the goal was to launch six fully electric Land Rover models by 2026. The British carmaker plans to launch only four EVs, including the PHEVs mentioned above EVs.

EoX

The E0X electric platform supports 800 and 400-volt system architectures, offers advanced autonomous driving technology, and consumes 12 kWh/100 km. Cars like the Exeed Exlantix ES and the Exeed Sterra ES are based on this platform.

Earlier this year, Chery explained the platform’s abbreviation. The ‘E’ stands for Electric and “represents Chery’s commitment to expand in the new energy sector and the determination to develop and innovate continuously.”

According to the company, the ‘0’ (zero) is a new technical beginning for starting a journey in the high-end NEV sector to develop sustainable and green solutions. The ‘X’ is intended to symbolize “the infinite expansion possibilities of the platform,” which covers the A to C segment of Sedan/SUV/MPV models with five-, six- and seven-seater variants.

At least two of the four battery-electric models that JLR is planning to introduce, the Range Rover Electric SUV and the electric Range Rover Sport, are based on JLR’s own MLA platform, which supports combustion engines, hybrids, and battery-electric drives.

The technical details for  BEV models based on this EoX platform are unknown.

Long relationship

Chery and Jaguar Land Rover have a 12-year friendship story in China. In 2012, the companies formed a joint venture to manufacture Jaguar Land Rover cars in a jointly owned factory that started operating in 2014 and is still in business. JLR engineers helped Chery a lot with the suspension, and Land Rover cars inspired Chery’s designers. And now it seems to be Chery’s turn to help JLR.

JLR is somewhat lagging in the trend for new energy vehicles. Its only BEV, the Jaguar I-Pace, was launched six years ago. At the same time, JLR’s sales volume is slowly declining. This problem is especially acute in China, where there is a massive trend for NEVs.

This is probably why the Tata-owned automaker asked Chery for help. M3X and E0X-based Jaguars and Land Rovers will probably sell exclusively in the Chinese market to satisfy local buyers’ needs.

Jaguar Land Rover isn’t the only automaker that has adopted Chinese modular architectures to build EVs. Lately, it has been a growing trend among lots of automakers. Examples galore: Mitsubishi Airtrek adopts GAC’s GEP; Smart and Lotus EVs are underpinned by Geely’s SEA platform; Renault cars will adopt Geely’s CMA platform; Volkswagen has agreed to use the E/E platform from Xpeng; and future Audi vehicles will be underpinned by the iO Origin platform from SAIC.