New Jaguar will mean jobs joy for 1,300 at Midland JLR

The announcement has been hailed by the Government as an 'endorsement' of the health of UK's automotive industry and a boost for the economy.

The jobs will be created at JLR's Solihull plant where the firm will build the new Jaguar crossover SUV model.

It will be the second car to be built at the new aluminium 'factory within a factory' at JLR's Solihull plant where the new XE saloon is set to start rolling off the production line in the next few weeks.

Like the XE, the car is also likely to be powered by the new Ingenium family of engines which are made at JLR's new factory in Wolverhampton. If so, it could mean faster recruitment at the engine plant, which will eventually employ 1,600 people.

The new jobs were announced overnight at the Detroit motor show in America. At the same time JLR revealed another year of record breaking sales, as 462,678 of its cars raced out of showrooms worldwide in 2014. It is now predicting 2015 sales will break the half million barrier.

Jaguar Land Rover chief executive Ralf Speth said: "Today's announcements once again demonstrate our commitment to the UK and the advancement of a high-tech, high skilled, manufacturing-led economy.

"Jaguar Land Rover is committed to delivering more great products. It is that innovation and relentless quest for new technologies that sets our products apart. We want to offer customers greater choice, with even more exciting vehicles, crafted with that special British flair."

The new workers at Solihull will support the launch of Jaguar's latest vehicle, called a 'performance crossover' – half saloon, half 4x4 – which is based on the female-friendly C-X17 concept vehicle which wowed car fans around the world when it was unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show two years ago.

The car was an immediate hit and there has been intense speculation since then as to when Jaguar might put it into production. JLR said today the new crossover will go on sale in 2016.

The company says today's announcement also marks the start of 'an incredible year' for the British manufacturer which says it will deliver 12 'significant products' in the next 12 months.

In addition to the latest XE Jaguar saloon, JLR has just launched its new generation of Land Rovers with the new Discovery Sport off-roader.

JLR has already invested £1.5 billion in its Solihull plant to make the new generation of lightweight, aluminium bodied cars, creating 1,700 jobs there since 2013. The workforce at Solihull has nearly doubled over the past three years, with 9,450 currently employed there.

Traditionally, Solihull made Land Rovers such as the Defender, the Discovery and Range Rovers, but has expanded to handle new Jaguars.