Stalin takes the wheel as first Range Rover made in Tamil Nadu rolls out of Tata’s new Ranipet plant
The plant brings India into Jaguar Land Rover’s global production network, which includes facilities in the United Kingdom, China and Brazil.
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.
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.
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.
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