Jaguar Land Rover sets out its EV roadmap

Jaguar Land Rover will invest £15 billion over the next five years on developing luxury electric cars, as it moves away from petrol and diesel-driven vehicles.

The plans include converting its Jaguar Land Rover's (JLR) Halewood plant near Liverpool in England into an all-electric factory.

“This investment enables us to deliver to our modern luxury electric future, developing new skills, and reaffirming our commitment to be net carbon zero by 2039,” said chief executive Adrian Mardell.

Range Rover SUVs at the Jaguar Land Rover plant in Solihull where the automaker's new electric four-door GT models will be built. Bloomberg

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) also announced that it will build the first of three new electric 4-door GT models at its Solihull plant in the West Midlands.

With a 700km range and costing upwards of £100,000 ($124,153), the new 4-door GT Jaguar will be released later this year, before going on sale in selected markets in 2024 for client deliveries in 2025.

JLR, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, first announced plans to switch to all-electric production two years ago.

At one point, it was thought that JLR would build its own battery factory in the West Midlands, but on Wednesday it revealed its current internal combustion engine centre in Wolverhampton will be converted to manufacture electric drive units and battery packs for JLR’s next generation vehicles.

It will be renamed the Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre to reflect the move.

New Land Rover cars in a parking lot at the JLR plant at Halewood near Liverpool. Reuters

JLR lags behind its rivals in the fully-electric space — it will launch a new all-electric Range Rover SUV in 2025 and order books for that vehicle will open later this year.

Other luxury-car makers, including BMW and Porsche, have sparked up their EV production in recent years, and Mercedes Benz unveiled its Maybach EQS SUV this week at the Shanghai auto show.

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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Essentials

The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.