Fisker Automotive Inc. said it would open a manufacturing facility in Moreno Valley, marking the first time Southern California will have an automotive plant in decades.

Fisker, now based in Costa Mesa, has signed a long-term lease with landlord First Industrial Realty Trust for a 555,670-square-foot building on Perris Boulevard in the city’s South Industrial area, according to Mike Lee, Moreno Valley’s community and economic development director. The carmaker is expected to bring at least 150 jobs to the area, including assembly plant workers as well as engineers and sales employees, Lee said. Terms of the lease were not disclosed.

“I think it’s great,” Lee said. “It’s a whole new industry we don’t have in Southern California. We have the labor pool they’re looking for and the affordable land.”

In a statement, Moreno Valley Mayor Jesse Molina called the move a “landmark moment” for the city.

Henrik Fisker founded Fisker Automotive Inc. in 2007 in Anaheim. The company designed and sold its luxury-hybrid Karma vehicles before it went bankrupt in 2013.

A unit of China-based Wanxiang Group Corp. bought the company’s assets out of bankruptcy for about $150 million and appears to be in the process of restarting its operations.

Sales could begin next year, Lee said.

Company officials did not return calls seeking comment.