Driverless cars factory plan for Shropshire - as they are trialled at Ironbridge Power Station site
Driverless cars could be built in a new factory in Shropshire, it emerged today.
It comes as trials for autonomous 'pods' are being held within the grounds of the former Ironbridge Power Station.
Westfield Sportscars revealed it is looking to build a manufacturing plant in Shropshire, bringing hundreds of new jobs.
The company, which is based in Kingswinford, near Dudley, is in early talks with Shropshire Council to bring its expanding business to the county.
Julian Turner, chief executive of Westfield, said it is an opportunity to create hundreds of jobs, up-skill the population and bring a whole new industry to Shropshire.
The driverless pods have been using roads within Ironbridge Power Station for tests. One was this week displayed at Shirehall, Shrewsbury, as councillors were told of the potential the new technology has for jobs in the county.
Mr Turner said the former power station site, which is now owned by development firm Harworth, could be an ideal place to build a factory.
“The business is growing quite rapidly so we are looking to create a facility or unit in Shropshire where these cars can be built locally,” he said.
“We’ve had a look at Ironbridge as one of the options to have a unit. It’s all part of our commitment to encourage employment. It’s exciting because is a whole new industry we could bring to Shropshire.”
The site of the disused power station, which will be demolished over the next three years, is set to be completely transformed over the next decade, with a mixture of business, homes, leisure and shops.
Westfield, which specialises in factory-built and kit versions of two-seater, open top sportscars, branched into the driverless vehicle business five years ago.
