Jaguar Land Rover has opened its first wholly-owned manufacturing plant outside its home market of the UK.
The company inaugurated a £240m manufacturing facility and education business partnership centre in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
It is also the first production plant opened by a UK car maker in Latin America.
The new facility will manufacture up to 24,000 Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport models annually to be sold in Brazil.
The plant, which will support the company's future plans, includes a series of environmental features.
It incorportaes a rainwater collection system and several manufacturing technologies.
Jaguar Land Rover manufacturing executive director Wolfgang Stadler said: "The opening of Jaguar Land Rover's new world-class facility in Brazil marks the latest exciting milestone in our global expansion."
"Land Rover is already Brazil's market-leader for mid-sized premium SUVs, accounting for more than 30% of all sales in that segment."
The company plans to secure LEED Gold sustainability accreditation for the facility.
Jaguar Land Rover has been operating in Brazil for over 25 years. In the first five months of 2016, the company's sales in the country increased by 11%.
In recent years, the company has invested heavily in its UK manufacturing plants to support the introduction of all-new vehicles such as the Jaguar F-PACE and Range Rover Covertible.
The company plans to expand its engine manufacturing centre in Wolverhampton.
