Chennai: Chief minister M K Stalin will lay the foundation stone for the JLR and Tata Motors manufacturing facility in Panapakkam in Ranipet district next month. JLR, the marquee brand owned by Tata Motors, will produce only electric vehicles . On the other, Tata Motors will manufacture a wider range of vehicles from its stable in the nearly 500-acre Sipcot facility, officials said.
The Rs 9,000 crore facility in Tamil Nadu will be the first in India to manufacture the luxury models of JLR. “Until now, models sold in India were either imported as fully manufactured vehicles from its plant in Britain or assembled in Pune. In this plant, they will manufacture these cars from scratch,” an official said.
Tata Motors, meanwhile, will roll out a wider range of vehicles and is considering hybrid ones too. “Several factors are driving the growth of the hybrid car market, including rising fuel prices, stricter emission regulations, and government incentives for eco-friendly vehicles. Besides the Asia Pacific region, there is a growing demand for hybrid cars in European and North American markets,” officials said.
The plant will manufacture luxury vehicles for sale in both domestic and international markets, he added. Earlier this month, JLR said its retail sales increased by 31% year-on-year to 1,371 units for the first quarter until June 30, 2024. Sales of both the Defender and Range Rover Evoque grew by more than 50%, JLR India announced.
An MOU for setting up the manufacturing facility in TN was signed with the state government in March this year. “In September, we will be signing a non-binding agreement, which will include incentives and other legalities,” an official said. The facility is expected to generate 5,000 jobs, both direct and indirect, in five years in automotive and associated industries in and around Ranipet district.
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