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Jaguar Land Rover invests $1.5B to build factory in Slovakia

Jaguar Land Rover will invest 1 billion pounds ($1.5 billion at current rates) to build a new factory in Nitra, Slovakia. Construction will commence in 2016, and the site will have an initial capacity of 150,000 vehicles a year when the first of them roll out in late 2018. JLR expects to employ 2,800 people there. JLR won't yet say what vehicle it will build in Slovakia, other than it will be an all-new aluminum model. The 2018 timing for the plant's start of production seems to coincide with the launch of the radically different next-gen Land Rover Defender, though. Earlier reports suggested that JLR also considered locations in North America, particularly Georgia, and Europe for the new factory. However, the company signaled the Slovakia choice earlier this year when it signed a letter of intent with the government there in August. The automaker then did a final feasibility study before committing to the site. The new factory continues JLR's recent manufacturing expansion. The company opened an engine plant in the UK last year and a factory in China. There will also be one soon in Brazil, and it will reportedly bid to buy the Silverstone Circuit as a new headquarters. JAGUAR LAND ROVER CONFIRMS NEW FACTORY IN SLOVAKIA • New world-class premium manufacturing facility confirmed in Nitra • The next stage of the Company's plans for sustainable global growth • Today's announcement also supports long-term investment in the UK Bratislava, Slovakia – Jaguar Land Rover has confirmed that it will be the first British carmaker to open a manufacturing facility in Slovakia. The announcement follows an agreement between the company and the Government of the Slovak Republic to build a new plant in the city of Nitra, western Slovakia. The new world-class GBP1 billion premium manufacturing facility will eventually employ around 2,800 people. Today's announcement follows Jaguar Land Rover's recent confirmation to double its investment in its engine plant in the UK to almost GBP1 billion – the largest injection into a new British manufacturing plant in decades creating several hundred new jobs. Dr Ralf Speth, Chief Executive Officer, Jaguar Land Rover commented, "Jaguar Land Rover is delighted today to welcome Slovakia into our family. The new factory will complement our existing facilities in the UK, China, India and Brazil and marks the next step in the company's strategy to become a truly global business.

April Fools' Day brings Jeep Sedan, Hyundai N Roadster, Toyota Yaris pickup and more

There is one day out of the year when public relations professionals have permission to lie to journalists and to the public: April Fools' Day. Manufacturers release details about wild, weird and wacky new technology, concept vehicles and services. Some take it to obvious outlandish extremes (Jeep Sedan anybody?), while others plot to mislead with products that are just outside the realm of possibility. Check out all the "jokes" below. BMW Motorrad BMW doesn't want to exclude anybody from experiencing the thrill of high-level racing, so it is introducing 'iRace" autonomous programming on its S 1000 RR sport bike. It includes beginner, sportsman, advanced and unlimited driving modes, and stores GPS information for all Superbike world championship tracks. Hyundai Hyundai is wrong for this. The Hyundai N Roadster is the work of South Korean designer Yeonjoon Park and features a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, rear-wheel drive and a hard convertible top. Hyundai says this is a "concept (for now)," but we think it'd make a seriously great Mazda Miata competitor. Honda Honda wins the award for the best interactive gimmick, as its press release for the '90s-inspired special-edition Pastport includes a live hotline number with a message from Fred Savage. Call 1-833-PASTPORT for more information. Jeep Put the Jeep Cherokee face on the Chrysler 300's body, and voila! The 2019 Jeep Sedan is born. We can't decide if the name or the rendering is better. Land Rover Accessibility to charging ports is of major concern to anybody with a plug-in vehicle. So, with the recent launch of the Range Rover P400e and Range Rover Sport P400e, Land Rover is putting forth an effort to install more stations around the globe. First up is Scotland's Isle of Skye. Adventurers need juice too! Lexus Australia Lexus expands its Encore service to include doggos. The new service, called Enpaw, will take pups to luxury boarding kennels in style. Toyota U.S. Toyota created the Yaris Adventure pickup for "those who want to tell their friends they own a truck but never veer off pavement." It's part Mazda 2, part RAV4, 100 percent ute and it looks ... great? Creating a new segment might be all fun and games to Toyota, but Ford is reportedly considering a Focus-based ute in a similar, albeit larger, style. Toyota Australia Toyota is launching a new HiAce van, and it's already getting a limited-edition variant called the PieAce.

Aston Martin DB10 spied in action on James Bond Spectre set

Spectre, the next film in the James Bond franchise, is due for release on November 6 of this year. That means there's filming happening right now all over Europe as scenes are stitched together, and one of them involves the Aston Martin DB10 shuffling through maneuvers at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England. Our guess is that Bond has become an unwelcome guest at a fancy event – there's a Porsche 959 and a Bugatti EB110 in the courtyard – which is why he is forced to make one of his quick-reversing escapes under fire. While that was being captured last week, the Spectre production crew put together another behind-the-scenes clip from filming in Austria, which gives us a look at the Range Rover Sport SVR and Land Rover Defender "Bigfoot" crushing it up some snowy mountain passes. That clip is below. Yes, we're excited. News Source: L Verse Studios via YouTube, Motor Trend TV/Movies Aston Martin Land Rover Coupe SUV Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance Videos spectre aston martin db10