British automaker Jaguar Land Rover is expanding its Portland office with a new lease in Northwest.
The company, which has 80 local employees, has been in Portland since 2013. The new office is 50,000 square feet in Redfox Commons, 2034 N.W. 27th Ave., not far from its existing space in the Pearl District.
The office is the West Coast hub for JLR and it will focus on software engineering. It is expected to open this summer, according to the company.
The luxury brand called the office a “renewed commitment to Portland.”
“The new cutting-edge facility is central to developing innovative technology to advance software development and user experience design — a key element in how we deliver a modern luxury experience for our clients,” said Thomas Mueller, executive director of product engineering, in a written statement. “There is a wealth of tech skills in Portland which we can explore, ensuring we harness the best talent for JLR.”
JLR has been an active participant in the Portland startup community. It dove into the robust startup scene with an incubator and then innovation lab that worked with up-and-coming companies. All of this happened alongside the company’s engineers who worked on what was then called in-car entertainment, or infotainment.
The first incubator cohort was in 2016. However, by 2019 the company was undergoing its own challenges and the Portland office was hit by restructuring cuts. That included shutting down the work with startups.
At 80 employees, the Portland office appears to be back to the level it was prior to the restructuring.
The new office plans don’t appear to include the same deep startup work, but the company noted it has relationships with organizations in town to support the overall tech industry in the region.
Engineers in this office will work on all aspects of consumer-facing technology both in and out of the vehicle. This includes different interface and display types that are used by drivers and passengers.
"This expansion is an exciting moment for our Portland operation as we continue our work designing the digital space, including user-facing features known and loved by users of JLR's brands and vehicles, and supporting partners on the West Coast," said Blake Lyman, senior director of software engineering and site operations, in a written statement. "We’re proud of the talent at our facility that delivers the latest technology to address critical driving information, infotainment, speed interaction and more that are of high importance to our customers.”
Redfox commons was developed by Langley Investment and is managed by The Instant Group.
