Jaguar Land Rover Signs Deal to Manufacture Cars in Austria

British luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover has signed a manufacturing agreement with Magna Steyr, an Austrian automotive firm, as part of its endeavour to institute a global footprint and strengthen its production line across the globe.

Magna Steyr will build some future JLR vehicles in Graz, Austria, under the collaboration that looks to support the Tata Motors-owned carmaker's growth plans and create additional volumes.

Ralf Speth, CEO, JLR, said, "The UK remains at the centre of our design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities. Partnerships such as this will complement our UK operations and engineering. Today marks another step in building our global footprint. This agreement will allow us to expand our award- winning model range as customers around the world demand ever- more innovative vehicles from Jaguar Land Rover."

JLR's sales have doubled over the past 5 years to over 4,62,000 vehicles. Furthermore, employment has also doubled to more than 35,000 people, whereas more than 10 billion pounds in new product creation and capital expenditure have been invested. The company has also invested in its UK vehicle manufacturing facilities at Castle Bromwich, Halewood and Solihull in the West Midlands region of England to support the introduction of 10 new vehicles, including the Jaguar XE, Jaguar F-TYPE, Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport.

"The signing of this contract with Jaguar Land Rover reflects the trust in our capability and heritage as a vehicle contract manufacturer. The partnership with Jaguar Land Rover brings a new customer to our Graz plant. As always, we will work with our fullest commitment and dedication to ensure that we meet our customer's high expectations," said Gunther Apfalter, president of Magna Steyr and Magna International Europe, which claims nearly 100 years' experience in contract manufacturing.

JLR's plans to bolster its manufacturing presence also includes the opening of its joint venture factory in China and the ongoing construction of its new plant in Brazil.

(With inputs from PTI)