First Range Rover Evoque Rolls Out From Tata Motors’ New JLR Plant In Tamil Nadu

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday flagged off the first Range Rover Evoque at Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles’ new Jaguar Land Rover manufacturing facility at Panapakkam village in Ranipet district, marking the inauguration of the ₹9,000-crore plant and a key milestone for the State’s automobile sector. The plant is located in the industrial belt of Ranipet, located in between Chennai and Vellore in north Tamil Nadu.

The facility, spread across 470 acres, will manufacture up to 2.5 lakh vehicles annually over the next five to seven years for both domestic and international markets and is expected to generate over 5,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Speaking after inaugurating the plant, Stalin said the project reaffirmed confidence in the Dravidian model of governance and demonstrated that Tamil Nadu remained the most preferred destination for global investments. He noted that establishing a modern automobile manufacturing facility of this scale typically takes three to four years, but the Tata JLR plant was completed in just 16 months after the foundation stone was laid in September 2024.

Highlighting the Tata Group’s long-standing presence in the State, the Chief Minister said its operations through firms such as TCS, Taj Hotels, Titan, Tata Power and Tata Electronics reflected Tamil Nadu’s ability to host world-class manufacturing units capable of producing globally competitive products.

Stalin also cited other recent investments to underline the State’s business-friendly environment, including the Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast’s first manufacturing plant in India at Thoothukudi, opened in August 2025 after a similar 16-month construction period, and the recent inauguration of Mitsubishi Electric India’s air conditioner and compressor manufacturing unit at Gummidipoondi near Chennai. These, he said, reflected the ease of doing business in Tamil Nadu, supported by streamlined clearances, robust infrastructure, skilled human resources, a peaceful environment and transparency.

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The Chief Minister added that the State government planned to organise a conclave to showcase around 100 schemes aimed at simplifying business processes and reiterated that memoranda of understanding signed with investors were consistently translated into actual investments without delay.

N. Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd., said the inauguration of the Ranipet facility marked a significant milestone in the company’s efforts to accelerate India’s leadership in sustainable and future-ready manufacturing. He described the project as a deepening of Tata Group’s long-standing partnership with Tamil Nadu, a State he said continued to drive industrial excellence, innovation and inclusive growth.