Tata-owned JLR to spend £1.5 bn on new aluminium cars

British luxury car maker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), owned by India's Tata Motors, on Monday announced a major new investment of £1.5 billion to introduce technologically advanced aluminium vehicle architecture in a new range of models.

The company will create as many as 1,700 new jobs at its advanced manufacturing facility in Solihull in the West Midlands region of England to meet the requirements of the enhanced product portfolio.

The latest additions will bring the total number of UK manufacturing jobs announced by JLR over the last three years to almost 11,000.

"Jaguar Land Rover is a business driven by design, technology and innovation and this investment and level of job creation is yet further evidence of our commitment to advancing the capability of the UK automotive sector and its supply chain," JLR chief executive officer Ralf Speth said at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Two weeks back, the company got rave reviews for its new hybrid Land Rover SUV RR Sport, which is said to be just as good as the best petrol and diesel models, while delivering 44 miles per gallon.

As part of a series of announcements at the automotive show in Germany, Speth revealed that the first new model to utilise the innovative new architecture will be a mid-sized sports sedan from Jaguar.

The new model, to be launched in 2015, is being billed as one of the most efficient, advanced and refined premium sports sedans in the segment.

It will also feature the first engine to be built at the iconic luxury car brands' new £500-million engine manufacturing centre near Wolverhampton.

Jaguar also revealed its first-ever sports crossover concept vehicle – the C-X17 – which was created as a design study to introduce the aluminum monocoque architecture.