Jaguar Land Rover is injecting £450 million into its Engine Manufacturing Centre (EMC) to double capacity as the brand looks to grow its sales volumes around the world.

The factory will be taking on “hundreds” of new staff and it brings JLR’s total investments in the engine plant to over £1 billion.

The EMC has produced over 50,000 engines in the last 12 months. JLR’s Ingenium engine was launched on the Jaguar XE and are used on the Discovery Sport, Range Rover Evoque, XF and F-Pace.

Jaguar Land Rover chief executive, Dr. Ralf Speth said: “The Engine Manufacturing Centre is a strategically significant facility for Jaguar Land Rover.

“The decision to expand our operations at the site provides a clear signal of our commitment to meeting customer demand for cleaner and more efficient engines, while developing the skills and capability that Britain needs if it is to remain globally competitive.”

In the 12 months since its opening the EMC has seen its workforce reach 700 with further recruitment ongoing.