JLR to make Discovery Sport in Brazil

VEHICLE manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has confirmed that its new Land Rover Discovery Sport will be the first model produced at its new plant in Brazil.

The company, owned by India’s Tata Group, made the announcement at the start of the Sao Paulo International Motor Show.

The news comes 11 months after the company announced it had secured agreement with the Brazilian authorities to build a new £240m manufacturing facility in Itatiaia.

The Brazilian operation will supplement UK production at Halewood and have the capacity to build 24,000 vehicles a year for the Brazilian market. With the first vehicle driving off the production line in 2016, 400 jobs will be created initially and this is expected to almost double by the end of the decade.

In addition, JLR will also tap into Itatiaia’s local supply base. It is envisaged nearly 1,000 jobs will be created across the local supply chain. The factory will be JLR’s first wholly-owned manufacturing plant outside the UK – its recently-launched Chinese plant being a joint venture with Chery.

Phil Popham, group marketing director, said: “Brazil and the surrounding regions are very important to Jaguar Land Rover. With customers in Brazil showing an increasing appetite for highly capable premium products, we are proud to confirm that our new breakthrough Discovery Sport will be manufactured at our new Brazilian facility.”

The Discovery Sport is the first member of the new Discovery family and replaces the Freelander which was made at Halewood until September.