Jaguar Land Rover Classic will soon be heading to Georgia, placing its first facility in the U.S. in Savannah.
Gov. Nathan Deal announced the move Wednesday, saying the facility will be located in Crossroads Business Park, near a portion of Gulfstream Aerospace.
"I applaud the leadership of Jaguar Land Rover Classic for recognizing the strength of Georgia's automotive sector and for creating high-wage jobs for our deep talent pool," Deal said. "By choosing Savannah, Jaguar Land Rover Classic will enjoy the benefits of close proximity to the Port of Savannah while streamlining services for American customers."
The new facility will provide access to a range of authentic Jaguar and Land Rover Classic cars, services and parts. The company, based in the United Kingdom, said the facility will also include a state-of-the-art 42-bay workshop for comprehensive vehicle health checks, service and repairs for all Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles out of production for a decade or more.
The operation will create 75 new jobs with salaries starting at $80,000, Savannah Economic Development Authority President and CEO Trip Tollison told The Savannah Morning News.
The company will be manufacturing and rebuilding classic Jaguar and Land Rover vehicle models, Tollison said.
"These are hand-crafted by highly skilled workers," Tollison said. "It's unique custom work."
Tollison said Jaguar's choice of Savannah is significant.
"First, it's significant because it's Jaguar Land Rover Classic's first manufacturing (location) in North America," Tollison said. "It's also significant because our hope is that we've laid the groundwork for what could come in the future."
Tollison said the investment by Jaguar Land Rover Classic is $15 million.
Construction of the new facility will begin in autumn 2019.
