Tata Motors, which owns Jaguar Land Rover, is planning to build a multi-billion-pound electric car battery plant in the UK, the BBC said, adding that Tata, the Indian conglomerate, would choose the Uk site over Spain.
Tata's head will fly to London next week to finalize the agreement to build the battery factory in Somerset, southwest England, which could employ 9,000 people.
The decision by the Tata group to choose the UK over Spain would be a major coup for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is under pressure to ensure the country is increasingly attractive to carmakers.
Last week, the finance minister Jeremy Hunt hinted at potential good news for the UK's EV battery manufacturing industry, stating, Watch this space. Tata's investment would boost the car industry in the UK after major automakers, such as Vauxhall owner Stellantis and Ford warned that post-Brexit trade rules could make car-manufacturing unviable in the UK.
The UK has fallen behind in the worldwide race to build local battery capacity, threatening the future of its electric vehicle industry, while also facing the risk of tariffs on British cars under Brexit rules that will go into force in 2024.