COVENTRY, U.K. – Jaguar Land Rover opens its first wholly owned overseas factory in Brazil.
With a $340 million investment, production has begun at the Itatiaia manufacturing facility and Education Business Partnership Centre in the state of Rio de Janeiro. It marks the first time a U.K. automaker has opened a production center in Latin America.
The new factory comes on line two years after JLR launched a joint manufacturing venture in China. By developing indigenous factories the automaker intends to offer cars tailored to local needs while protecting itself against harmful currency fluctuations.
The new facility will build Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport models going on sale this month at dealerships across Brazil.
“The opening of Jaguar Land Rover’s new world-class facility in Brazil marks the latest exciting milestone in our global expansion,” Wolfgang Stadler, executive director-manufacturing, says at the plant’s inauguration.
“Land Rover is already Brazil’s market leader for midsized premium SUVs, accounting for more than 30% of all sales in that segment. The Range Rover Evoque and the Land Rover Discovery Sport will now be manufactured for the first time in Latin America, building on their existing popularity with customers in Brazil.”
The Education Business Partnership Centre, JLR’s first to operate overseas, will provide a range of classroom activities for up to 12,000 local children each year. These will help them develop key skills and work awareness, and inspire them to pursue careers with the automaker.
The fully flexible plant has been designed to support the company’s future plans and includes a series of environmental features, such as rainwater collection and the planting of more than 1,200 native-species trees to help preserve and improve the natural habitat around the factory.
JLR hopes to achieve the globally recognized LEED Gold sustainability accreditation, the first automotive assembly plant in Brazil to do so.
To help reduce its carbon footprint, JLR has sourced major components such as seats, cockpit, exhaust, chassis and powertrain assembly from local suppliers including Benteler and IAC.
Brazil is one of the automaker’s top 15 markets, boasting a network of 35 dealerships helping the Evoque, Discovery Sport and Range Rover Sport rank among the country’s best-selling vehicles.
