JLR to double engine plant size 24 | 11 | 2015

JAGUAR LAND ROVER is to double the size of its new engine production plant in Wolverhampton. The decision comes on the back of "global demand for current and future models". 

Hundreds of new jobs will be created, helping to boost JLR's workforce to 40,000 next year.

The plant, which has so far built 50,000 engines, employs around 700 people at present, with further recruitment onging.

Currently the Wolverhampton engine facility builds JLR's Ingenium diesel engines, engines which are or will be found in the Jaguar XE, XF and F-Pace, the Land Rover Discovery Sport and the Range Rover Evoque.

Ingenium family is modular in size, and will also grow to include petrol variants, supplying all three of JLR's production plants.

Related: AWD for 2016 Jaguar XE

The engine production plant's size will grow to 200,000 square metres following the expansion, and investment in it now stands at £1 billion. According to JLR, the plant is the most significant automotive facility built in Britain in the past decade.

 “We are proud to be such a significant investor in advanced manufacturing in Britain and are excited by this expansion and the new jobs it will create," Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Dr. Ralf Speth said.

“The Engine Manufacturing Centre is a strategically significant facility for Jaguar Land Rover. The decision to expand our operations at the site provides a clear signal of our commitment to meeting customer demand for cleaner and more efficient engines, whilst developing the skills and capability that Britain needs if it is to remain globally competitive.”

Related: New specs for Discovery

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Jim McGill