The West Midlands recorded 92 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in 2015 - the largest number recorded in a decade.

The figure represented an increase of 46 per cent on 2014 when the region attracted 63 projects, according to new research.

The 2015 UK Attractiveness Survey, published by financial services EY, said this represented the largest market share of UK projects recorded in the West Midlands at 8.6 per cent.

The average market share for the West Midlands over the last decade was 6.9 per cent.

Since 2013, the performance of the West Midlands has seen a large improvement with total project numbers up more than 95 per cent between 2013 and 2015, led by investment into Birmingham which is the fourth most successful UK city (outside London) for attracting FDI.

Of the top UK cities in terms of numbers of FDI projects secured in 2015, the Midlands area had three locations represented - Birmingham (24 projects), Coventry (11 projects) and Solihull (ten projects).

Among those investments during 2015 were projects by Indian-owned Jaguar Land Rover and Geely, the Chinese parent of the London Taxi Company.

Further automotive related investment was created by Brose Fahrzeugteile which launched a new manufacturing plant in the West Midlands.

In the last five years, Birmingham has recorded year-on-year increases in the number of projects secured - from just seven projects in 2011 to 24 projects in 2015.

This represents a 243 per cent increase over the period.

During the same period, Manchester started from a base of 12 projects and in 2015 recorded 54 projects - a 350 per cent increase and the UK's top city for FDI in 2015 (outside London).

Sara Fowler, senior partner at EY in the Midlands: "It's been another exceptional year for the West Midlands with record inward investment in 2015, bringing more jobs, and contributing to the strong performance of the Midlands Engine.

"With major infrastructure schemes such as HS2 on the horizon, I'm confident that the region will continue to attract FDI and build the profile of the West Midlands as a global investment hot-spot."

Strong growth was reported in the West Midlands for projects from the automotive, fabricated metals, and machinery & equipment sectors.

The West Midlands remains the top UK region for attracting manufacturing FDI with 61 projects in 2015 - up 28 per cent on 2014.

The manufacturing sector created 5,395 jobs in 2015 - over 75 per cent of the total jobs in the West Midlands (7,134).