Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles has begun local production of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) models at its manufacturing facility in Panapakkam, Ranipet district, marking a significant milestone for the company’s luxury vehicle operations in India. The first vehicle to roll out from the plant is the Range Rover Evoque, a premium SUV sold by JLR in the Indian market.
The Completely Knocked Down (CKD) manufacturing facility was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who also drove the first Range Rover Evoque for a short distance inside the factory premises. The Ranipet plant is located around 90 kilometres west of Chennai and represents Tata Motors’ expanding footprint in Tamil Nadu’s established automotive corridor.
With this development, Tata-JLR becomes the sixth major automobile manufacturer to produce vehicles in the state, joining global players such as Hyundai, Renault, Nissan, BMW, and VinFast. Tata Motors has committed an overall investment of ₹9,000 crore for the project, to be deployed in phases over the coming years. Until now, all CKD operations for JLR vehicles were carried out in Pune, but the company plans to gradually shift these activities to the Ranipet facility.
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Construction of the Panapakkam plant began in September 2024. Once fully operational, the facility is expected to have an annual production capacity of over 2.5 lakh vehicles, with output ramping up over the next five to seven years. Around 1,300 components are required for vehicle assembly, and an initial investment of ₹900 crore has been earmarked to support the production of about 20,000 Range Rover vehicles in the early phase.
In the Indian market, the Range Rover Evoque is currently priced from ₹64.86 lakh (ex-showroom). It is offered with mild-hybrid petrol and diesel powertrains, including a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine producing 250 hp and 365 Nm of torque, and a 2.0-litre diesel engine delivering 204 hp and 430 Nm. Both variants come with all-wheel drive and a 9-speed automatic transmission as standard, competing with luxury SUVs such as the Mercedes-Benz GLA and BMW X1.