Jaguar creates 1,000 new jobs as factory moves to 24-hour production to meet demand

• Soaring foreign demand for Range Rover Evoque and Freelander 2 models
• 30,000 people are believed to have applied for the new posts
• Bosses are hoping to achieve record profits of about £1.5bn this year
• Firm was bought by Indian manufacturing giant Tata from Ford in 2008

Jaguar Land Rover has created 1,000 new jobs by shifting its Merseyside factory to 24 hour production to meet soaring foreign demand for its vehicles.
The Indian-owned firm will introduce a night shift at the Halewood plant beginning Monday bringing its total number of workers to 4,500 -  three times the number employed there just three years ago.
More than 30,000 people are understood to have applied for the new posts with trial night shifts already underway.

Jobs boost: Land Rover has created 1,000 jobs at its Merseyside plant on the back of soaring foreign demand for models including the Range Rover Evoque which was designed in collaboration with Victoria Beckham

Demand from abroad for the company's Evoque and Freelander models has soared with more than 80 per cent of the vehicles made at the firm's three UK factories now being exported to China, Brazil and Russia. 
The Evoque, a small 4x4, which was designed in collaboration with Victoria Beckham, has been particularly successful with nearly 90,000 already sold since it went into production last year.
The model is particularly popular in China, where a rapidly expanding middle class has fuelled demand for foreign-built luxury cars.
Owners hope the introduction of the night shift will greatly reduce waiting times and boost profits.
Halewood Operations Director, Richard Else, said: 'Our new recruits have worked hard during their assessments and extensive induction training.
'Many have also worked a number of trial night shifts during July, to ensure we get off to a great start today.
'I am delighted to welcome our new colleagues as they come on-board to help us meet customer demand for the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Freelander.
'Moving production to three shifts and working 24 hours a day will allow us to significantly reduce the time a customer has to wait for their new Range Rover Evoque.'

A night shift at the Halewood factory will start next week with over 30,000 people applying for the new posts

Des Thurlby, HR Director at JLR said: 'With 4,500 employees, JLR Halewood has trebled its workforce in just three years – and the size of the workforce is now the highest it has been for 20 years.
'As well as creating new jobs, our on-going global success means we continue to have a positive economic impact in the North West and throughout the UK supply chain.'
'JLR is committed to investing in the skills and training of its workforce and many of the 1500 people recruited to launch the Range Rover Evoque in 2011 have already graduated with an Intermediate Apprenticeship.
'We received more than 30,000 applications for these 1000 new roles and we are very fortunate that we were able to select such high calibre people for our new jobs.'
Jaguar Land Rover is hoping to achieve record profits of about £1.5bn this year. A 91 per cent increase in sales to China has driven a 45 per cent increase in second-quarter profits worth more than £500m.

While demand for Land Rovers has soared, sales of Jaguar's traditional saloon cars like this XF model have failed to keep up

However while demand for Land Rovers has increased, demand for Jaguar's traditional saloon cars has struggled to keep pace.
Overall sales were 83,452 vehicles during the second quarter of 2012,  an increase of 34 per cent. Of those vehicles 72,000 were Land Rovers but under 12,000 were Jaguar saloon cars.
The company was bought by Indian manufacturing giants Tata from Ford in 2008 for £1.5bn and has since gone from strength to strength. They have taken on around 8,000 additional employees in the past two years.
Plans are also underway to build a new engine plant in south Staffordshire which could create a further 750 jobs.