3 min readChennaiUpdated: Feb 9, 2026 11:20 PM IST
Chief Minister MK Stalin drives the first Range Rover Evoque car during the inauguration of a new Tata Motors-Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) passenger car manufacturing plant, at Panapakkam village in Ranipet district, Tamil Nadu. (PTI Photo)
In a sprawling industrial estate in Tamil Nadu’s Ranipet on Monday morning, the first luxury SUV rolled off the line at Tata Motors’ new factory. In the driver’s seat was Chief Minister M K Stalin.
The car was a Range Rover Evoque, part of the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) portfolio. The moment marked the formal inauguration of Tata’s greenfield passenger vehicle plant at Panapakkam in Ranipet district, about 90 km from Chennai. The facility was built in just 16 months — a timeline the state government held up as proof of its industrial efficiency.
Stalin drove the first vehicle alongside N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, as executives and officials watched from the factory floor.
“A day that defines speed, scale, and the credibility of the Dravidian Model,” Stalin said in an address, adding, “From groundbreaking in September 2024 to inauguration in February 2026, Tamil Nadu once again demonstrates what focused governance and clear intent can achieve.”
Spread over 480 acres inside an estate owned by the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT), the plant represents an investment of Rs 9,000 crore to be developed in phases. The first phase accounts for Rs 900 crore.
The facility will begin operations with CKD (completely knocked down) assembly of the Evoque, priced upwards of Rs 65 lakh ex-showroom. Other models from both Tata and JLR portfolios are expected to follow. Once fully operational over the next four to five years, the plant is projected to produce between 2.5 lakh and 3 lakh vehicles annually and generate about 5,000 direct jobs, and thousands more through suppliers.
Chandrasekaran called the launch “a golden day” for the group and said the site would gradually expand into advanced, high-end manufacturing. “The plant’s production capability is three lakh vehicles annually. Over the next five years, we will bring other models and also new technologies,” he said.
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For Tata Motors, the Ranipet unit becomes its second major manufacturing base in South India after Dharwad in Karnataka. It also brings India into JLR’s global production network, which includes facilities in the United Kingdom, China and Brazil. Until now, JLR vehicles were assembled domestically at Tata’s plant in Pune.
For Tamil Nadu, the project is another milestone in a rapid expansion of its automotive footprint. In the past six months alone, the state has opened two large car plants, including the first Indian facility of Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast in Thoothukudi. The state already hosts manufacturing bases for Hyundai Motor India, Ford Motor Company, Renault-Nissan Alliance and BMW India.
Stalin highlighted the speed of execution, noting that projects of this scale often take three to four years to commission. “But we have reduced the timeline by half,” he said, adding that the state would soon unveil 100 more industrial projects under a “conversion conclave” aimed at turning MoUs into operating factories.
Chandrasekaran pointed to new trade opportunities, saying India’s free trade agreements with the UK, UAE and the European Union, along with an emerging pact with the United States, could help Indian-made vehicles access global markets.
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The Ranipet plant reflects Tata’s longer strategic shift. In 2022, the company chose to acquire Ford’s facility at Sanand rather than the automaker’s former plant near Maraimalainagar, consolidating operations while expanding its southern base.
Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority.
Expertise
Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews.
Key Coverage Areas:
State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor.
Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties.
Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu.
Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail.
His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More
