NITRA, Slovakia (Reuters) - British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) <TAMO.NS> expects to hit annual production of 100,000 cars at its plant in Slovakia by 2020, the chief executive of the newly opened factory, Alexander Wortberg, said on Thursday.
The company officially launched its new 1.4 billion euro (1.24 billion pounds) plant in Nitra, Slovakia, on Thursday after starting some production last month. The plant was built with an initial capacity of 150,000 vehicles.
It will take over production of the carmaker's Discovery model but could accommodate a second model as the British company faces uncertainty over a lack of a deal on Britain's impending exit from the European Union.
Worstberg said no decision on a second model had been taken yet.
"It is very essential for JLR globally that the solution reached between the EU and UK does not result in a hard Brexit," he told reporters.
"We’re starting with one model and one shift. We will start hiring for the second shift in November, that will be operational in the second half of next year. Annual capacity of 100,000 cars will be reached in 2020."
(Reporting by Tatiana Jancarikova; Editing by Susan Fenton and Jon Boyle)
