Currently reading: Jaguar Land Rover reveals secret autonomous Project Vector

Fully self-driving pods are in advanced development stages; will be trialled in Coventry next year

Jaguar Land Rover has shocked the world of future motoring by unveiling an entirely new, fully engineered electric car platform that's capable of supporting a wide variety of autonomous, shared and private vehicle configurations. 

Work on the project, which is entirely separate from JLR’s current or near-future production car range, is already so far advanced that a multi-use autonomy-ready vehicle, claimed to offer unparalleled interior space and flexibility, will begin road trials in Coventry late next year. City and West Midlands authorities have already agreed to cooperate, viewing the project as “a living laboratory for future mobility”.

Called Project Vector, the vehicle’s all-new “skateboard” platform was launched earlier today at Warwick University’s National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC) by JLR CEO Sir Ralf Speth, who revealed that it had been in secret development there for several years.

He cited Vector as the latest and biggest move yet towards “Destination Zero”, JLR’s ambition to achieve a future of zero emissions, zero accidents and zero congestion.

97 Jlr project vector official 2020 hero doors open

“Jaguar Land Rover understands the trends shaping modern societies,” said Speth. “Through this project we are collaborating with the brightest minds in academia, our supply chain and digital services to create connected, integrated mobility systems, the fundamental building blocks for Destination Zero. Vector is precisely the brave and innovative leap forward needed to deliver on our mission.”

The vehicle being readied for the Coventry trials is just four metres long and designed for life in the city, with its battery and drivetrain components packed into a flat floor, allowing maximum design flexibility for the body above. The experimental car’s cabin space allows seating configurations for private or shared use, or for commercial use, such as last-mile deliveries.

Project Vector is being developed at NAIC, Speth explained, to give it the advantages of a start-up project, in particular agility and easy collaboration with academic and outside partners. The project’s director is Dr Tim Leverton, an eminent engineer and researcher who was previously chief engineer at Tata Motors and has worked on projects as diverse as the JCB Dieselmax record car and BMW’s original Rolls-Royce Phantom

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The project has been financed by Jaguar Land Rover, but has been structured as a start-up company which plans to seek outside investment.

94 Jlr project vector official 2020 interior seats reversed

“The megatrends of urbanisation make connected urban mobility systems necessary and inevitable,” said Leverton.

“Shared and private vehicles will share spaces with and be connected to public transit networks, so you can travel on-demand and autonomously. Future urban travel will be a composite of owned and shared vehicles, as well as public transport. Our vision shows the vehicle as a flexible part of the urban mobility network that can be adapted for different purposes.”

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Steve Cropley

Steve Cropley Autocar
Title: Editor-in-chief

Steve Cropley is the oldest of Autocar’s editorial team, or the most experienced if you want to be polite about it. He joined over 30 years ago, and has driven many cars and interviewed many people in half a century in the business. 

Cropley, who regards himself as the magazine’s “long stop”, has seen many changes since Autocar was a print-only affair, but claims that in such a fast moving environment he has little appetite for looking back. 

He has been surprised and delighted by the generous reception afforded the My Week In Cars podcast he makes with long suffering colleague Matt Prior, and calls it the most enjoyable part of his working week.

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Stuthechew 19 February 2020

What's in the background

I'm more interested in what's hiding under the tarp in the 2nd last picture, Road Rover? Roof slant too low for an Evoque.

eseaton 19 February 2020

I seriously dislike horses.

I seriously dislike horses. But I would be far more interested in a review of a horse than this.

This is the anti-car, and certainly the anti-E Type.

It has more in common with an escalator.

artill 18 February 2020

Are Autocar about to start

Are Autocar about to start doing road tests on being a bus passenger?

These things, what ever they are, are not cars, and dont belong in Autocar. A bicycle has more in common with a car than this thing

Peter Cavellini 18 February 2020

Wheels, Seats, Windows.

artill wrote:

Are Autocar about to start doing road tests on being a bus passenger?

These things, what ever they are, are not cars, and dont belong in Autocar. A bicycle has more in common with a car than this thing

It’s transport, you may not drive it, but, it’ll take you, in Town or City, wherever they’re used to your destination, what will it cost I don’t know, but, it’s not a bad solution. Autocar are being real in giving it space on their Webpage.

artill 18 February 2020

Peter Cavellini wrote:

Peter Cavellini wrote:
artill wrote:

Are Autocar about to start doing road tests on being a bus passenger?

These things, what ever they are, are not cars, and dont belong in Autocar. A bicycle has more in common with a car than this thing

It’s transport, you may not drive it, but, it’ll take you, in Town or City, wherever they’re used to your destination, what will it cost I don’t know, but, it’s not a bad solution. Autocar are being real in giving it space on their Webpage.

do they give space a bus or taxi? Apart from the driver, what exactly is the difference