Construction Begins on JLR Plant in Slovakia

Tata Motors Ltd.’s U.K.-based Jaguar Land Rover unit broke ground today on a £1 billion ($1.3 billion) factory in Nitra, Slovakia. The plant, which JLR confirmed last December, is Slovakia’s largest single foreign investment project to date.

Production is expected to begin in late 2018. The facility will employ 2,800 people when it reaches its design output of 150,000 vehicles per year, thereby expanding JLR’s global production capacity by about 25%.

The initial 300,000 sq-meter (3.2 million sq-ft) complex will build at least two aluminum-intensive models and their variants, according to JLR. The company could make an additional investment and double capacity if demand warrants, Reuters reports.

The company says the Nitra plant will feature a highly automated paint shop and a conveyor system that promises 30% greater throughput than conventional arrangements.