Jaguar opens first overseas plant as Brexit looms

British multinationalautomotive company, Jaguar Land

Rover opened its first overseas engine plant on Friday, picking China

for the investment a week after saying it would build a global model

entirely outside Britain for the first time.

The

Britain's biggest carmaker, which already operates a plant in China as

part of a partnership with Chery, said the new facility was part of a

10.9 billion yuan investment with the Chinese automaker.

"The

new engine plant demonstrates Jaguar Land Rover’s long-term commitment

to the Chinese market, providing customers with an exciting range of

vehicles and powertrain options, as well as to its joint venture," JLR

said in a statement.

The site will make the new Ingenium 2.0-litre

four-cylinder petrol engine. China was JLR's fastest growing market in

2016, accounting for 20 percent of global sales.

JLR,

owned by India's Tata Motors, is rapidly expanding its production

levels and model line-up and decided in 2015 to build a major new plant

in Slovakia, rather than expand its operations in Britain.

Earlier

this month, the automaker said it would build its new E-PACE compact

sport utility vehicle in Austria and China, the first car made for

global sale to be built outside of Britain.

Like much

of the British car industry, JLR is worried that Brexit could leave its

car exports facing lengthy customs delays and tariffs of up to 10

percent, jeopardizing the viability of production in Britain.