Jaguar Land Rover to Build New Plant in Slovakia

Last year, rumors began circulating that Jaguar Land Rover was looking toexpand its production plants outside of the U.K. The British automaker was said to be looking at other European countries and the U.S. as potential sites. Now, Jaguar Land Rover has signed a letter of intent with the Slovak Republic to build a plant there.

British newspaperThe Sunday Timesoriginally reported that the luxury automaker was already in talks with southern U.S. states for the new factory. The possibility of a U.S. factory wasn't far-fetched, especially since the U.S. market is important to Jaguar Land Rover and the company recently announced it would build the Discovery Sport in South America .

With JLR's plans to become a more globally competitive business, this expansion is the next step. "With its established premium automotive industry, Slovakia is an attractive potential development opportunity for us. The new factory will complement our existing facilities in the U.K., China, India and the one under construction in Brazil," said Dr. Ralf Speth, Chief Executive Officer, Jaguar Land Rover, in a statement.

The Slovakian Government is currently conducting a feasibility study, and pending the results, the automaker will give a final decision later this year. The plant would be responsible for the manufacturing of 300,000 units over the next decade and a range of aluminum Jaguar Land Rover models, but the first models won't roll off the production line until 2018.

Source: Jaguar Land Rover