Jaguar Land Rover has confirmed plans to move production of its Discovery from the United Kingdom to Slovakia.
According to Reuters, shifting production from Solihull to the Slovakian city of Nitra – a move that will reportedly be complete by early 2019 – will save the Tata-backed company “thousands of pounds” per vehicle built, although it will likely also cost a few jobs in the UK.
“The potential losses of some agency employed staff in the UK is a tough one, but forms part of our long-term manufacturing strategy as we transform our business globally,” Jaguar Land Rover said, according to Reuters.
The report added that the automaker planned to build the next-generation versions of its Range Rover and Range Rover Sport at the Solihull plant in the West Midlands of England.
In addition, Jaguar Land Rover said it would further invest in the Solihull plant, retooling the facility to build a new generation of electric vehicles. The automaker also confirmed that it would produce its upcoming next-generation Range Rover Evoque at the Halewood plant in northern England.
“This significant investment and technology upgrade in Solihull in order to accommodate our next-generation of flagship Land Rover models, and the refit of our Halewood plant for the next Evoque, is proof that we remain committed both to the U.K. and to transformation and growth,” Jaguar Land Rover said, according to Bloomberg.
The British brand’s new factory in Slovakia is scheduled to go online towards the end of 2018, with an expected annual capacity of 300 000 vehicles.
