Nitra: Land Rover's soon to be 100% electric factory
Jaguar Land Rover Slovakia's plant, which opened in 2018 for the Discovery V and Defender, is moving into the electric world.
By 2030, Jaguar Land Rover, also known as JLR, plans to launch up to nine 100% electric models, including the entire future Jaguar range, which will become a fully zero-emission brand well before that deadline, but also new models that will be integrated into the offerings of the new Range Rover, Defender and Discovery brands.
Among the factories set to support this evolution, alongside historic plants such as Solihull, Coventry and Halewood, is Slovakia's newest and most modern plant in Nitra, which will be transformed into an electric SUV and off-roader factory in the coming years.
Home of the new Defender
Jaguar Land Rover Slovakia was founded in 2015 in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, followed by the groundbreaking of the new plant in Nitra, the capital of the region of the same name in the west of the country.
The complex, built with an investment of £1.3 billion, more than €1.5 billion, occupies an area of 300,000m2, completed in 2018 and earmarked for the production of the Discovery V, whose production line was moved from Solihull, and the new Defender which arrived in 2020.
In fact, Nitra has grown at the same rate as the Defender, which is built there exclusively. Its success and the expansion of the range to three variants (the latest, the eight-seat 130) has seen the workforce grow from an initial 1,500 to as many as 5,000, shifts increase from two to three and weekly production from 2,000 to 3,000 vehicles, bringing total production to 365,000 units, five years after opening.
El taller de carrocería de la planta de Nitra
Efficient production
The highlight of the Nitra complex is the adoption, for the first time in Europe, of Kuka's carrier system PULSE (Propulsion Using Linear Synchronous Energy).
This is an innovative electromagnetic drive solution that speeds up body production and sub-assembly by up to 30 per cent, while reducing the associated energy costs.
Land Rover Defender 130 in production at Nitra
This was followed by a further €60 million in digitisation technology and the construction of additional buildings. In 2023, JLR announces a new £15 billion (€17.3 billion) investment plan for the electrification of its range and factory conversion, although initially the distribution of the new electric models is only partially formalised.
Electric variants of the Ranger Rover and Range Rover Sport, as well as some Jaguar models, are destined for Solihull, while details for Nitra have yet to be announced, although logically they should be variants of models already built here, namely Defender and Discovery.
Nitra factory fact sheet
| Opening | 2018 |
| Ownership | Jaguar Land Rover |
| Location | Nitra, Nitra Region, Slovakia, Europe |
| Total area | 300.000 m2 |
| Employees | approx. 5,000 |
| Production capacity | 150,000 vehicles per year |
| Other activities | - |
| Models currently produced | Discovery V, Defender |
| Most important historic models produced | - |
| Upcoming models | New electric range (2025) |
Other Production and Manufacturing News:
Gallery: Nitra, the Discovery V and new Defender factory
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