JLR Opens Factory in Slovakia

Jaguar Land Rover Ltd. officially began production today at its €1.4 billion ($1.6 billion) SUV factory in Nitra, Slovakia.

The plant, which is making Land Rover Discovery SUVs, has capacity to build 150,000 vehicles per year. JLR expects to reach annual output of 100,000 units by 2020.

Factory chief Alexander Wortberg tells reporters the new facility plans to add a second production shift in mid-2019. He says the plant also could add a second model, particularly if the U.K. is unable to avoid higher tariffs when it leaves the European Union next spring.

CEO Ralf Speth has warned that a so-called “hard” Brexit could eliminate thousands of jobs in Britain by disrupting delicate supply chains between the U.K. and EU.