Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is to build a new manufacturing plant in the West Midlands, which will create 750 jobs.

The new site, which will appear next to the M54 motorway, will specialise in low-emissions engines. Clean, high performance powerplants are also said to be in the offing, as the company decreases its reliance on Ford's units.

The Government has pledged its support for JLR's development and is providing up to £10 million through the Grant for Business Investment scheme.

Wales and India were two of the locations that missed out on the new £355 million factory. The Welsh Government worked hard to bring the plant to its southern region but claimed that the result was still a "good win for the UK".

This news adds to the progression of Jaguar Land Rover, which revealed three new concept cars at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show. Jaguar's small sports car - the C-X16 - was dubbed a spiritual successor to the E-Type, while Land Rover's DC100 and DC100 Sport concepts hinted at the direction the Defender is headed in.

Nathan Jessop - 19 Sep 2011