Jaguar-Land Rover's 5.0-litre supercharged V8 making way for BMW-sourced 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
In mid-2020, the future of Jaguar-Land Rover's flagship performance engine - the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 (codename AJ) - seemed uncertain, with Ford announcing the shutdown of the factory that produced the engine in Bridgend, UK. JLR did however move production in-house to get a few more serviceable years out of it. But with Euro 7 emissions norms looming, the time has come for the company to put into effect the decision to wind down production of the AJ V8 in lieu of a 4.4-litre, twin-turbo V8 sourced from BMW (codename S63), a deal first reported on in 2019.
This engine is already available in the new-gen Range Rover P530, and will find its way to all the models currently powered by the 5.0-litre, namely the SVR models from Range Rover, F-Type P450 and R models, as well as F-Pace SVR from Jaguar, and the top-end Defender. The upcoming third-gen Range Rover Sport will also move to the BMW-sourced engine, along with a move to Land Rover's new MLA Flex architecture.
Of note, the move to BMW-power for its performance models is part of a more encompassing partnership towards joint development of next-generation electric drive units, as well as alternate fuel systems, such as hybrid powertrains. One of the applications of the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 includes hybrid power, making for a quicker plug-in hybrid option with well over 600PS. The BMW Concept XM, for example, with the 4.4-litre PHEV V8 is said to offer 750PS, 995Nm and an electric-only range of up to 20km.
Also read,
Range Rover Sport SVR powered by supercharged 5.0-litre V8 launched at Rs 2.19 crore
Jaguar commence the deliveries of the new F-Pace SVR, prices start at Rs 1.51 crore
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