India has been formally added to Jaguar Land Rover’s global manufacturing footprint with the inauguration of a new Tata Motors–JLR passenger vehicle plant in Ranipet, Tamil Nadu. The facility was inaugurated on Monday by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
Tata Sons Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said the plant marks a major expansion for JLR, which already has manufacturing and testing operations in the UK, Austria, China and Brazil. The Ranipet unit will have an annual capacity of 2.5–3 lakh vehicles and will produce both internal combustion engine and electric vehicles, he said. The first vehicle, a Land Rover Evoque, was rolled out at the inauguration.
Chandrasekaran noted that the project, whose foundation stone was laid 16 months ago, will be executed in three phases over four years and will scale up to advanced manufacturing levels. He also highlighted the Tata Group’s expanding presence in Tamil Nadu across businesses such as TCS, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Indian Hotels and Tata Electronics.
Industries Minister TRB Rajaa said the facility is expected to generate about 5,000 direct jobs and spur the development of ancillary units around the plant. He added that the Ranipet unit represents only the first phase, with further expansion and investments planned in the coming years.
Source – The Economic Times
