Jaguar adds 800 jobs as China sales accelerate

(AP) Car company Jaguar Land Rover says it's adding 800 jobs in Britain as it enjoys a big boost in sales in China, which is now the luxury auto brand's largest market.

Jaguar Land Rover said in a statement late Sunday that it had sold nearly 72,000 vehicles in China last year, more than the roughly 68,000 vehicles it sold in its U.K. home market.

The company said that sales were up 30 percent globally despite the uncertain economy, with big increases also recorded in the United States, Russia, and Germany.

Roughly a quarter of the 800 new jobs will be subsidized by the British government's Regional Growth Fund.

Jaguar Land Rover is based in the U.K. but is owned by India's Tata Motors.