Luxury car giant Jaguar Land Rover has confirmed it will open a new factory in Slovakia.

The move makes it the first automotive manufacturer to open a factory there.

The announcement - first mooted during the summer - follows an agreement signed between the company and the government of the Slovak Republic to build a new plant in the western city of Nitra.

The new plant will eventually employ around 2,800 people and has been tipped by some to be the location to produce the eventual replacement for the long-serving Land Rover Defender, which has yet to be unveiled.

JLR has said the plant will manufacture a range of all-new aluminium vehicles.

Construction will start next year and it is expected the first vehicles will come off the production line in late 2018.

The factory will have an initial capacity of 150,000 vehicles a year.

Chief executive Ralf Speth said: "Jaguar Land Rover is delighted today to welcome Slovakia into our family.

"The new factory will complement our existing facilities in the UK, China, India and Brazil and marks the next step in the company's strategy to become a truly global business.

"Slovakia has an established premium automotive sector, which represents 43 per cent of the country's overall industry.

"It has more than 300 suppliers in close proximity and an excellent logistics infrastructure - this confirmed our decision this country was the ideal location."

Mr Speth said the new facility would not impact in any way on UK production.

He said: "The heart of our company will always be in the UK, where our design, technology and manufacturing capabilities are based."

Jaguar Land Rover's announcement came after the signing of an agreement by Mr Speth and Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia, in Bratislava.

Mr Fico said: "We are glad that Jaguar Land Rover has chosen Slovakia for its new world-class manufacturing facility.

"This decision shows that, with a stable and solid business environment, Slovakia is an attractive place for investors. And the marriage of Slovak craftsmanship and British engineering holds great promise."

The Slovak factory forms a key part of Jaguar Land Rover's global expansion plans.

Over the last year it has opened a new joint venture in China and started building a manufacturing plant in Brazil.

Jaguar Land Rover chose Slovakia over a number of locations around the world, including other European countries, the United States and Mexico.