This announcement follows the company's decision in November to move more of its manufacturing operations offshore from the UK to Singapore and to Prince George's County, partly due to an increase in orders and partly in order to hedge against the US dollar fluctuations. The company had vetted at least eight states for the US investment.

Site selection decision-making turn on both quantitative as well as qualitative factors and Virginia has been able to make a good case for itself among car makers on both counts in recent months. In September, Volkswagen of America, the wholly owned subsidiary of automaker Volkswagen AG, surprised officials in Michigan when it revealed that it was moving its Auburn Hills-based headquarters operations to a newly completed $100-million, 185,000-sf building in Herndon. "For many reasons, we believe that Virginia is the ideal place for us as we continue to grow our business and raise our profile in North America," James Guyette, president and CEO, Rolls-Royce North America says in a statement.