Jaguar Land Rover eyes plant in Slovakia to drive global expansion - Telegraph.co.uk
The new plant is expected to produce its first car in 2018, and the company said the Slovak factory would manufacture aluminium vehicles, feeding speculation it could be used to build the JLR’s replacement for the Land Rover Defender. About £1bn is expected to be invested in the new factory, taking the amount the company has spent on new facilities and products to £11bn over the past five years. The news comes just days after JLR announced that its first-quarter profits had fallen by almost a third as demand for its cars fell in China. JLR said Slovakia was selected after “a robust analysis” of sites in other countries because it is “close to a strong supply chain and good logistics”. Robert Fico, prime minister of Slovakia, said: “The Slovakian government is delighted to be selected as JLR’s preferred location for this feasibility study. Up to 8,000 jobs could be created in the factory and its supply chain if the plant goes ahead, providing a further boost to the Slovakian auto industry - already the fastest growing in central and eastern Europe. Slovakia's car output rose by over 70pc between 2008 and 2014, when almost one million cars were produced. Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
