MK Stalin inaugurates Tata Motors Panapakkam plant in Tamil Nadu, JLR assembly starts

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Monday, inaugurated Tata Motors’ new passenger vehicle and Jaguar Land Rover manufacturing facility at Panapakkam in Ranipet district.The plant is located inside the SIPCOT industrial complex and will handle assembly of completely knocked-down (CKD) units for JLR models. Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairperson of the Tata Group, was present at the inauguration ceremony.

The Panapakkam facility will supplement existing JLR assembly operations in India while also creating additional capacity for Tata Motors’ own passenger vehicle production.

#WATCH | Ranipet, Tamil Nadu: Chief Minister MK Stalin inaugurates the new Tata Motors passenger vehicles and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) manufacturing facility in Panapakkam, Ranipet district today at the SIPCOT complex.

Chairperson of the Tata Group, Natarajan Chandrasekaran also… pic.twitter.com/6rjJLB3i9o— ANI (@ANI) February 9, 2026

Shailesh Chandra, MD and CEO of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, during the company’s Q3 FY26 earnings call, said JLR CKD assembly at Panapakkam will supplement operations at the Chakan plant near Pune.

Chandra cited capacity constraints at Chakan and limited room for expansion at other plants as the reason for activating the Tamil Nadu site.

He added that Tata Motors will also need additional capacity for its own passenger vehicle range. The company plans to share more details later on how production will be split across locations.

Jaguar brand production is winding down ahead of a planned reinvention, while Land Rover models continue to see demand in India. The added assembly line is intended to support that demand.

The Panapakkam facility was commissioned in late 2024 and is located near Tamil Nadu’s ports, which support domestic distribution and exports, especially for electric vehicles.

The unit spans about 470 acres within the SIPCOT complex. Of the total 1,200 acres acquired at the site, the remaining land will host other industrial projects.

The company said the plant will run on 100% renewable energy and follow sustainability-linked manufacturing practices.

Tata Motors had earlier outlined a planned investment of about ₹9,000 crore at the site, with the potential to create around 5,000 jobs. Annual production capacity is expected to rise in phases to as much as 2,50,000 vehicles.

With the facility now operational, Tata Motors is looking to strengthen JLR’s position in India, which it views as a key growth market for luxury vehicles.

Senior executives have also said there are no current plans to shift from CKD assembly to full local manufacturing of JLR vehicles. However, they noted that future free trade agreements involving India could influence that strategy.

(With input from agencies)