Kamal Ghorui
Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd. (TMPV) and its subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover Automotive today announced that it has begun operations at their new manufacturing facility at Panapakkam in Tamil Nadu’s Ranipet district, marking a key milestone in the group’s domestic manufacturing expansion. The first vehicle to roll out of the plant was the locally produced Range Rover Evoque, signalling the start of production at the greenfield facility.The plant was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin along with Tata Sons and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Chairman N. Chandrasekaran, in the presence of senior government officials and leadership teams from TMPV, JLR and the Tata Group. Tata Motors began work on its new vehicle manufacturing facility at Panapakkam in Tamil Nadu’s Ranipet district in September 2024. With this, Tata-JLR has become the sixth major automaker to set up car production in the state, alongside Hyundai, Renault, Nissan, BMW and VinFast.
The company says that the Panapakkam facility represents the first phase of development of a new manufacturing hub designed to produce next-generation vehicles, including electric models, for both TMPV and JLR brands. The company also said the vehicle output will be ramped up in phases, with the plant expected to reach its full designed annual capacity of 2.5 lakh units over the next five to seven years, catering to domestic as well as international markets.TMPV plans to invest around Rs 9,000 crore in the facility as part of its long-term growth strategy. Once fully operational, the plant is expected to generate more than 5,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities and support the development of a local ancillary ecosystem. The facility has been designed to operate entirely on renewable energy, be water positive and follow stringent global environmental standards, underscoring TMPV’s emphasis on green manufacturing and responsible operations.
The Evoque is JLR’s most accessible model in its lineup and is priced at Rs 64.86 lakh (ex-showroom). The Evoque is offered in two engine options – P250 petrol mild hybrid 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, turbo petrol engine which puts out 247 hp of power and 365 Nm torque. Another engine is the 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, turbo diesel engine which puts out 201 hp of power and 430 Nm torque. To improve efficiency and performance, both engines incorporate mild-hybrid tech. Both engines come paired with automatic transmission, it also gets a terrain response system with all-wheel drive.Features wise, it gets a 11.4-inch touchscreen infotainment shake powered by the intuitive Pivi Pro (Connected) infotainment system, Shadow Grey Ash veneer finish, heated and cooled front seats, 14-way electrically adjustable front seats, panoramic sunroof, electrically adjustable steering column, ClearSight interior rear-view mirror, configurable cabin lighting, two-zone climate control, wireless charging, digital instrument cluster, meridian surround sound system, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and more.
