India marks a major automotive milestone as Tata Motors and JLR open a Rs 9,000 crore plant in Tamil Nadu to manufacture the country’s first fully made luxury electric SUV.
Published: February 9, 2026 11:55 AM IST
This week saw Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) inaugurate its new Rs 9,000-crore manufacturing plant at Panapakkam in Ranipet district of Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister M K Stalin and Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran jointly flagged off production at the greenfield facility spanning over 470 acres of land, setting the stage for India’s first all-electric luxury SUV built completely in-house at the plant.
Commenting on the new development, Stalin stated that it had marked Tamil Nadu as a “global destination” for next-generation vehicle manufacturing. Spread across nearly half a thousand acres, the fully electric-powered JLR plant will manufacture both internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and ultra-modern electric cars for both domestic sales and exports.
India Prepares To Build World’s First Fully Made Luxury Electric SUV
Chief among the vehicles set to be produced at the Panapakkam site is India’s first fully made luxury electric SUV. Manufactured by JLR under Tata Motors, Indian consumers have previously either imported or bought kits to assemble luxury electric vehicles. JLR’s latest manufacturing facility is set to change that by producing high-end premium vehicles made completely in India.
With a production capacity of approximately 2.5 lakh units per annum for Tata Motors and Jaguar Land Rover vehicles, the factory will also generate nearly 5,000 direct and indirect jobs. Situated right next to the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor as well as with access to Krishnapatnam Port in Kutchiganadam and the Bay of Bengal, JLR’s new plant will make it easier and faster for vehicles to reach customers and ports for export.
Accelerating The Arrival Of Luxury Electric Vehicles In India
One analyst remarked to The Economic Times that the plant “will reduce waiting periods for customers while offering cheaper prices”. The plant is also located strategically with excellent connectivity by road and rail networks to not only cater to customers but also for shipping finished vehicles abroad.
Industry experts think that building cars like the JLR luxury SUV in-house will be crucial to India’s ambitions of becoming a global electric vehicle leader by 2030. “Electric vehicles will get an impetus and when such a big company is setting up its unit in the country, it shows our capability and competency,” said Vinkesh Gulia, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) president.
More JLR & Tata Electric Cars To Arrive In India
Jaguar Land Rover has not yet clarified which vehicles will be built in-house but it is speculated that vehicles such as the Range Rover Evoque will arrive on Indian soil soon. While the company currently manufactures the premium Defender and the Discovery Sport SUVs, expect Tata Motors and JLR to push out more electric vehicles in the coming years as the company goes fully electric by 2030.
“This initial investment not only gives us an opportunity to create meaningful, skilled jobs in India but will also enable JLR India to lead the innovation journey,” a JLR spokesperson added.
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