Tata Jaguar Land Rover's $1bn car factory inaugurated in Tamil Nadu to roll out 20,000 cars a year

Jaguar Land Rover, a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd, inaugurated their Rs 9,000 cr ($1 bn) factory at Ranipet district in the southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu. JLR CEO PB Balaji said that the factory is up and running in a period of 16 months after the foundation stone was laid in September 2024. It was added that the Completely Knocked Down (CKD) vehicle factory has the capacity to roll out 20,000 cars per annum. With Tata Group Chairman N. Chandrasekaran seated beside him, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin ceremonially drove the first Range Rover Evoque variant that was rolled out from this facility, about 100 km away from Chennai city.

Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran emphasised that after JLR factories in the UK, Austria, China, Brazil, now India is also on the JLR map. He said that the advanced manufacturing facility in Ranipet, Tamil Nadu would be expanded in three phases over a period of four years. He added that the factory would eventually have the capacity to roll out 2,50,000 to 3,00,000 vehicles. JLR's India-based CKD operations have been based out of Pune, Maharashtra, and the Tamil Nadu facility adds to it. Notably, JLR is the sixth carmaker to establish in Tamil Nadu, after Hyundai, Renault, Nissan, BMW, Vietnamese firm VinFast.

Speaking at the event, Chandrasekaran said that the presence of Tata Power, TCS, Tata Chemicals, Taj Hotels, among other Tata group companies, reinforces the trust the conglomerate places in Tamil Nadu. He added that Tata Motors has also created a strong presence in Tamil Naduand will continue to grow in the state. He recalled that Chief Minister Stalin had assured of the Government's support when the project's Foundation stone was being laid in September 2024, and that Stalin had asked for the facility to be operationalised in 18 months.

The facility is now ready in 16 months, the Tata Group chief noted. Hailing Tamil Nadu as India's automobile hub, Chief Minister MK Stalin said that world-class carmakers have established their facilities in the state, and now Tata JLR is the latest in the list. He added that it is a matter of pride that the vehicles rolled out of the Tamil Nadu facility would cater to the domestic market and the global market. He also mentioned that Tamil Nadu has not just been inking MoUs for investments, but also following up to ensure that they materialise.