Jaguar has started shipping its F-Type sports car from the Castle Bromwich plant in the UK. The carmaker said that 75% of the vehicles will be exported and a percentage of these will be taken by rail twice weekly from its railhead on the Castle Bromwich site to the port of Southampton. STVA are providing the rail service. This volume will be supported by road transport to a number of other UK ports, with Stobart Automotive and ECM providing that service.

The carmaker did not share details on projected export or production volumes but its largest export market is the US, accounting for almost half of all sales, followed by Germany. The UK market is the third largest in terms of sales.

“Since we unveiled the car last year, the level of customer interest in the F-Type has been unprecedented,” said Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar's global brand director, last week. “It is a very proud moment for us to see some of the very first customer cars leave our Castle Bromwich facility today."

As a whole Jaguar Land Rover generates export revenues approaching £11 billion ($16.9m) each year, making it one of the UK's largest exporters by value. The company exports to 170 countries in total.

In the first quarter of 2013, Jaguar Land Rover sold more than 115,500 vehicles, up 17%.

Other recent launches include the all-new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport both of which are manufactured at JLR’s Solihull plant.

F-Type production at Castle Bromwich has resulted in contracts worth £2.8bn being placed with companies internationally, with more than £1.5bn placed with companies in the UK said Jaguar Land Rover.

Contracts have been awarded to more than 270 companies globally and of these 116 are based in the UK, half of which are in the Midlands region close to Jaguar Land Rover’s manufacturing base.

JLR has invested around £200m on expanding its Castle Bromwich facility by 50% for production of the new F-Type.

In other news, Jaguar Land Rover has recently appointed Indera Motors as its importer and distributor in Brunei. It is the first time that Jaguar products have been sold in the kingdom and will bring Jaguar and Land Rover products together under one roof in a dedicated Jaguar Land Rover dealership.

Indera Motors has been the official service agent for Jaguar since September 2012 and opened a showroom, service and parts facility in April this year to accommodate both Jaguar and Land Rover products. 

"Appointing Indera Motors opens a new chapter in Jaguar Land Rover's continued commitment to the Brunei market for premium vehicles,” said David Blackhall, managing director, Jaguar Land Rover Asia Pacific. “This is a new market for Jaguar and will refocus our Land Rover business, bringing strong growth potential. Selecting the right partner and having great products are the foundations to being successful across the region."