CHENNAI: In a milestone moment for India’s premium automobile manufacturing, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday (February 9) jointly inaugurated the Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) greenfield car manufacturing facility at SIPCOT Industrial Park in Panapakkam in Ranipet, alongside Tata Motors and JLR Chairman N Chandrasekaran. Ranipet is located about 80 km west from Chennai.
At the event, Stalin took the driver’s seat and symbolically drove the inaugural Range Rover Evoque out of the Panapakkam plant, marking the ceremonial rollout of production from the Ranipet facility.
Tata Motors and Jaguar Land Rover, the UK-based luxury vehicle arm of the auto major, have invested Rs 9,000 crore in the Ranipet facility, which is spread across 470 acres and has an annual production capacity of 2.5 lakh vehicles. The project, for which Stalin had laid the foundation stone on September 28, 2024, is expected to generate direct and indirect employment for around 5,000 people.
JLR vehicle assembly plant to reach 2.5 lakh capacity in four years: Chandrasekaran
“The Tata Motors–Jaguar Land Rover manufacturing facility is an advanced factory, and under a planned three-phase expansion, it will become fully operational in four years with an annual capacity of 2.5 lakh vehicles. The Tamil Nadu government assured us of all approvals to enable the plant to be set up within 16 months, and today the first Range Rover Evoque has been produced here, with the factory symbolically inaugurated by the Chief Minister,” N Chandrasekaran said, speaking at the event.
In his address, he said that the Jaguar Land Rover, which has manufacturing units in the UK, Austria, China and Brazil, has now added India to its global manufacturing map with the new Tamil Nadu facility. Chandrasekaran also highlighted the Tata Group’s growing presence in the State through TCS, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Indian Hotels (Taj) and Tata Electronics, noting the rapid expansion of Tata Electronics and Tata Power’s solar cell manufacturing over the past four years.
MoUs must translate into projects on the ground: CM Stalin
Stressing that signing MoUs alone was not sufficient, the Chief Minister said officials were being pushed to ensure projects were translated into reality, citing the Mitsubishi Electric facility at Gummidipoondi and the Tata Motors-JLR facility as examples. He noted that the Ranipet plant became operational in 16 months, ahead of the requested 18-month timeline, underscoring the State’s industrial climate and commitment.
Stalin also urged N Chandrasekaran to bring more Tata Group projects to Tamil Nadu and make the State its first choice for future investments.
Second major auto plant in six months for Tamil Nadu
Meanwhile, the Panapakkam plant will manufacture both internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicles, including premium Jaguar Land Rover models, apart from select Tata Motors passenger vehicles for the Indian and global markets. This marks the first time a premium car will be fully manufactured in India, rather than merely assembled.
The facility will operate entirely on green energy, aligning with the State’s focus on sustainable industrial development.
With the inauguration of the Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Jaguar Land Rover car manufacturing facility, Tamil Nadu has seen two major automobile manufacturing units become operational within six months. The JLR project, along with the VinFast facility, has progressed from the signing of memoranda of understanding to production in under two years, Industries Minister TRB Rajaa noted in a social media post.
Investment: Rs 9,000 crore
Location: SIPCOT Panapakkam, Ranipet
Capacity: 2.5 lakh vehicles annually (in four years)
Employment: Around 5,000 jobs
Vehicles: ICE and EV models, including premium JLR cars like the Range Rover Evoque
Milestone: First premium car fully made in India