Jaguar Land Rover looks to tap into Saudi Arabian oil money as it announced today it’s considering building cars in the country.
The West Midland’s based luxury car maker has agreed to undertake a feasibility test in the country and chief executive Dr Ralf Speth said Saudi Arabia was “an attractive potential development option.”
The announcement follows last month’s £1 billion deal between Jaguar Land Rover and Chinese manufacturer Chery Automobiles to open a production plant in Shanghai in 2015. Jaguar Land Rover hopes to take advantage of the growing Chinese car market, where sales have risen 80% in the past year.
Dr Speth said the company are: "committed to further international partnerships to meet record demand for our highly sought after vehicles."
Sales in the Middle East and North Africa have increased by a more modest 9% but Tata Motors, the car maker’s Indian parent company, have been drawn to Saudi Arabia by the world's largest aluminium plant, due to begin production in 2014 at the Ras Al Khair facility on the country’s eastern coast.
Jaguar Land Rover said any expansion would not affect UK jobs and said no decision has been taken as to what cars would be produced.
