Luxury car brand Jaguar Land Rover has started work on its new £1 billion factory in Eastern Europe - the same week as it announced plans to invest £100 million into its Birmingham base.

The 3.2 million sq ft factory in Nitra, Slovakia, will be used to build the a new range of lightweight aluminium vehicles.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) confirmed last Christmas that it was pushing ahead with its plans to develop a base in Slovakia - making it the first automotive manufacturer to open there.

And earlier this week the company confirmed it would be shifting production of the Jaguar XE from its factory in Solihull to its base in Castle Bromwich - coupled with £100 million of fresh investment into the plant.

Chief executive Ralf Speth said: "The start of construction in Slovakia represents the beginning of a new phase in our plan to create a truly global business.

"The factory will strengthen our international manufacturing capabilities as well as complement our existing facilities in the UK, China, India and Brazil."

The plant will have an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles and the first cars are expected to come off the production line in late 2018.

It incorporates an automated paint shop and have environmental measures such as water saving devices and heat recovery systems in a bid to be as green as possible.

JLR said more than 40,000 people had registered their interest in working at the plant since the project was initially confirmed.

It is expected to employ 2,800 staff once full operational.

Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico said: "The Jaguar Land Rover investment confirms that Slovakia is a good place to do business and an investment of such magnitude will have a positive ripple effect, not only for the region of Nitra but also for the whole of Slovakia."