Luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), a part of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV), on Monday expanded its manufacturing footprint in India with the commencement of its Rs 9,000-crore manufacturing facility at Panapakkam in Ranipet district near Chennai.
The inauguration was marked with the rollout of a locally manufactured Range Rover Evoque by JLR, a model celebrated globally for its modern luxury positioning.
What does this facility represent?
The facility represents the first phase of development of a greenfield plant, where the company has invested Rs 900 crore to produce next-generation vehicles, including electric vehicles (EVs), for both TMPV and JLR brands.
The plant was inaugurated by Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, with Industries Minister TRB Rajaa also present.
What did Chandrasekaran say?
“This plant was conceived to bring the latest Tata Motors and Jaguar Land Rover models, with a production capacity of 300,000 vehicles. This will likely mark the beginning of high-end vehicle manufacturing for just for JLR, but also for products featuring the latest technologies,” Chandrasekaran said.
He added that the manufacturing facility will be among the most advanced and sophisticated across JLR’s global plants, which include units in the UK, Austria, China and Brazil.
Under Phase I, the completely knocked down (CKD) vehicle facility has the capacity to roll out 20,000 cars per annum. Chandrasekaran said the factory would eventually scale up to produce 250,000–300,000 vehicles annually. This marks the first time a luxury car will be fully manufactured in India rather than merely assembled.
JLR currently operates a CKD assembly unit in Pune. The Tamil Nadu facility will initially manufacture JLR models and add other models, including those of TMPV, over time.
Chandrasekaran said the Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles–Jaguar Land Rover facility has further strengthened the Tata Group’s presence in Tamil Nadu, which already hosts several group companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals and Indian Hotels (Taj Hotels), among others.
Addressing the media on the sidelines, he said the free trade agreements (FTAs) signed with the European Union, the UK and the UAE, along with the latest tariff agreement with the US, open up tremendous opportunities in global markets as well as in India. “I’m extremely positive about the opportunities that lie ahead,” he said.
The plant inauguration also marks one of the quickest ramp-ups by a car OEM. “We laid the foundation stone in September 2024 and within 16 months, the factory is up and running,” JLR chief executive officer PB Balaji said.
Vietnamese auto major VinFast operationalised its $2-billion electric vehicle (EV) assembly plant at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu in August 2024, within 17 months of signing an agreement with the state government.
The Tata-JLR manufacturing facility also strengthens Tamil Nadu’s position as an automotive hub, already home to global carmakers such as Hyundai, Renault-Nissan, BMW and VinFast.
The plant has the potential to create 5,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities. The facility will be operated by a diverse team of shopfloor technicians from across Tamil Nadu, who are also participating in Tata Motors’ Lakshya programme—an “earn while you learn” initiative that accelerates talent growth from the shopfloor into engineering and management roles, the company said.