Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has confirmed, at the Sao Paulo International Motor Show, that its Land Rover Discovery Sport will be one of the first models to be built at its new R$750m local manufacturing facility in Itatiaia, Brazil.
The new factory, which will see a total investment of R$750m (GBP240m) by the end of 2020, will supplement UK production and have the capacity to build 24,000 vehicles annually for the Brazilian market. With the first vehicle driving off the production line in 2016, 400 jobs will be created initially and this is expected to almost double by the end of the decade, the company said.
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In addition, Jaguar Land Rover will also utilise Itatiaia’s access to the local supply base and skilled workforce – one of the main reasons Jaguar Land Rover selected its location – for nearly 1,000 jobs that will also be created across the local supply chain.
With all agreements in place, following the announcement of the facility in December 2013, Jaguar Land Rover will start construction of the new facility at the end of the year.
The new factory will be JLR’s first wholly-owned manufacturing plant outside the UK.
Speaking at the Sao Paulo Auto Show, Phil Popham, Group Marketing Director, said: “Brazil and the surrounding regions are very important to Jaguar Land Rover. With customers in Brazil showing an increasing appetite for highly capable premium products, we are proud to confirm that our new breakthrough Discovery Sport will be manufactured at our new Brazilian facility.”
