Brazilian Government Says Jaguar Land Rover Building Factory There

Insider sources in the Brazilian government have sold Reuters that JaguarJaguarUnited Kingdom, 1922 > present53 models
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Land RoverLand RoverUnited Kingdom, 1978 > present15 models
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will built a $436.9 million factory in Brazil’s state of Rio de Janeiro, and it could be finished as soon as 2015. The official announcement is tentatively scheduled for December 3.

"Everything is very advanced with only minor details to be worked out," said Luiz Carlos Ferreira Bastos, Itatiaia's mayor, the city where the factory would be built.

The news is not entirely a surprise. In October, a job listing showed up on Jaguar Land Rover’s employment page for a plant quality manager with Portuguese language skills. It said at the time that it was investigating the possibility of a factory in Brazil or Latin America.

At least initially, the factory would build truck from knockdown kits like Land Rover's smaller models and employ 500 to 700 people. In the future, it could produce complete models.

BMWBMWGermany, 1918 > present87 models
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, Mercedes-BenzMercedes-BenzGermany, 1924 > present197 models
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and AudiAudiGermany, 1909 > present83 models
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are all also building factories in Brazil. The country has raised taxes on imports while giving tax incentives to local producers, which has drawn the automakers there.

Source: Automotive News Europe