Land Rover confirms Halewood as the plant to build the new Discovery Sport (Well, where else could it have been built ?)

• 250 new jobs created by Jaguar Land Rover as company announces plans to build the Land Rover Discovery Sport at Halewood.
• New jobs see the Halewood workforce treble in four years.
• More than £200m invested at the plant to support the Discovery Sport introduction.

250 new jobs have been created by the UK’s largest automotive employer as the Land Rover Discovery Sport is today confirmed as the latest model to be produced at Jaguar Land Rover’s Halewood plant.

The additional jobs announced to support Jaguar Land Rover’s newest model will see the Halewood workforce reach 4,750 – more than treble the number employed there in 2010.

Commenting on the announcement, Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Dr. Ralf Speth, said: “The Land Rover Discovery Sport is the next in a line of exciting new products to come from Jaguar Land Rover. I am delighted that Halewood – and Liverpool – has been selected for this new investment. It is totally deserved, and strengthens the ‘special relationship’ that bonds Jaguar Land Rover to this great city.”

The Halewood plant, which is already home to the company’s fastest selling model of all time - the Range Rover Evoque, has benefited from a £200 million investment to support the introduction of the first member of the all-new Land Rover Discovery family. This takes the total amount invested in Halewood over the last four years to almost £500 million.

The new Land Rover Discovery Sport, which will go on sale in 2015, will be the most versatile and capable vehicle in the compact SUV segment. It is the first member of an all-new family of Discovery vehicles, inspired by the Discovery Vision Concept which was spectacularly showcased at the New York International Auto Show.

Richard Else, Jaguar Land Rover Halewood Operations Director, said: “I am delighted to be welcoming the new Land Rover Discovery Sport to Halewood. Its arrival has been a further boost to the region and to our committed and loyal workforce who are all passionate ambassadors for this great company.

“In many ways, Halewood has embodied the transformation of Jaguar Land Rover. We have seen our work force treble and production quadruple in just four years. Today we are operating three shifts, 24-hours a day to meet global demand and I am confident that the team will rise to the challenge and deliver a flawless launch of this exciting new model.”

The arrival of this exciting new vehicle at Halewood has doubled investment in the plant since 2010. In addition to a £45 million state-of-the-art Aida servo press line installed in March of this year, Jaguar Land Rover has installed 260 new automated robots, industry leading laser welding facilitates and a number of state of the art equipment monitoring & reporting systems to support an unrelenting focus on quality.

Halewood became home to Jaguar Land Rover’s top selling model, the Range Rover Evoque in 2011. Within two years the plant had produced more than 200,000 vehicles, a record volume for a single vehicle line at any Jaguar Land Rover facility. Today the Range Rover Evoque continues to attract new customers to the Land Rover brand. Sales in May were up 12% year on year with more than 80% of production exported to 170 global markets.

Aston Martin extends existing manufacturing base to prepare for future business growth.

• £20m programme under way to extend existing manufacturing capabilities
• Investment underpins exciting forthcoming new model programmes
• 250 new jobs will be created across the business in 2014

Work is under way on what is one of the most significant and exciting developments at the Aston Martin factory and global HQ for several years, as the business prepares to grow substantially its manufacturing facilities and workforce.

Preparations are well advanced on an extension to the British luxury sports car maker’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Gaydon, Warwickshire, as the business gears up for its next generation of new sports cars.

Alongside the building work, Aston Martin is also embarking on a recruitment drive with around 250 new jobs in engineering, manufacturing and commercial functions being created over the course of the next few months. 

The specifics of the ambitious development plan at Gaydon include the creation of a new chassis and pilot build facility, new offices, and an extension of the parts and logistics storage area. The new facilities will cover an extra 10,000 square metres and the major development work is due to be completed in 2015.

Aston Martin Chief Financial Officer, Hanno Kirner said: “The investment in our Gaydon HQ forms part of our long-term strategy which is focused around being the number one British luxury sports car brand.”

Keith Stanton, Aston Martin Manufacturing Operations Director, said: “I am very happy to be able to execute another part of our manufacturing strategy by extending our already highly-efficient facility.

“The improvements at Gaydon are a big step forward, and the development will enable us to streamline and finesse our manufacturing processes which, in turn, will allow us to be leaner and even more competitive.”

He added: “We have the vision of being the best producer in the luxury sports car sector and a new facility, along with the support of our flexible, highly-efficient workforce, will enable us to achieve our goal.”

Meanwhile, more than 500 applications have been submitted for the 12 places available in the latest round of Aston Martin’s highly-regarded apprenticeship scheme, as the brand continues its mission to recruit and train the cream of the automotive sector’s future manufacturing personnel.

Beyond its significant investment in, and commitment to, the development of its apprentices, Aston Martin will welcome 14 new graduates to the business in 2014.

Aston Martin Chief Financial Officer, Hanno Kirner, said: “We have confirmed that the coming years will see Aston Martin implementing the biggest investment programme in the 101-year history of the brand, with a plan to inject over £500m into the company’s next generation of high performance sports cars.”

Aston Martin Design Director, Marek Reichman concluded: “Today’s announcement adds important detail to our ambitious plan, and underlines our wholehearted commitment to continue to design and develop the world’s most iconic sports cars through investment in numerous areas of design, engineering, manufacturing and technology."