JLR Narrows Factory Site Options to Poland or Slovakia

Jaguar Land Rover Ltd. plans to erect a carmaking factory in either Poland or Slovakia, Reuters reports.

Polish Deputy Prime Minister Janusz Piechocinski tells reporters JLR plans a sixth round of talks on Monday to help determine the final choice between the two countries. He says the company aims to open a factory in 2019 with annual capacity to make as many as 350,000 vehicles. A win for Poland, he adds, would represent the largest investment ever in the country's auto industry.

In May unnamed sources told the Financial Times JLR was considering the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia for a factory that could make at least 250,000 vehicles per year. The FT's report indicated the choice would be driven by which country offers the best incentives.

Nine months ago JLR opened a €1.8 billion plant in China with capacity to make 130,000 vehicles annually. The company also is building a €295 million factory in Brazil to assemble 24,000 units per year.

JLR CEO Ralf Speth told Bloomberg News in April the company will eventually need a factory in North America but won't decide until at least 2018. Earlier this week JLR also announced a deal with contract assembler Magna Steyr to make an unspecified number of vehicles for the company.

JLR is targeting record global sales of 500,000 units in 2015, up 8% from last year.