Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), a subsidiary of Tata Motors, has started its new greenfield manufacturing plant at Panapakkam in Ranipet district of Tamil Nadu from today i.e. 9 February 2026. This plant was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin did this in the presence of Tata Sons and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Chairman N Chandrasekaran.
This plant is located in Sipcot Industrial Park and has been developed with an investment of ₹9,000 crore (about US$994 million). Construction work started in September 2024. This is Tata Motors' fifth passenger vehicle manufacturing plant in India, which includes two in Sanand, Gujarat, one in Pune and a joint plant with Jeep in Ranjangaon.
2.5 lakh vehicles will be made in a year!
This plant has an annual production capacity of 2.5 lakh units and will produce next generation models. This will include models of both Tata Motors and JLR. The plant is designed for the production of Electric Vehicles (EV), focusing on sustainable and future-ready manufacturing. This is the first plant to produce luxury models of JLR in India.
Range Rover Evoque rolled out
During the inauguration, the first vehicle, the locally assembled Range Rover Evoque, rolled out from the assembly line of the plant. Chief Minister Stalin himself drove this vehicle for a short distance, with Chandrasekaran accompanying him. This plant is important for the automotive sector in India, as Tamil Nadu is now the sixth major automaker of Tata-JLR after Hyundai, Renault-Nissan, BMW, VinFast.
Price and features
The Range Rover Evoque is the most accessible model in JLR's lineup, priced at ₹64.86 lakh, ex-showroom India. It is available with two engine options. The first one is P250 petrol mild hybrid (2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, turbo, 247 hp, 365 Nm) and the second is 2.0-litre turbo diesel (201 hp, 430 Nm) engine.
Both have automatic transmission, all-wheel drive and terrain response system with mild-hybrid technology. Features include 11.4-inch Pivi Pro infotainment, panoramic sunroof, Meridian sound system, wireless charging, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto etc.
Will prices decrease?
Earlier the Range Rover Evoque was completely imported (CBU), which attracted heavy import duty. Now with the start of local production through CKD (Completely Knocked Down) assembly, the import duty will be reduced, which will reduce the production cost. This may reduce the ex-showroom price by 10-20%. However, the company has not yet made any official announcement regarding this.