Ranipet (TN): Chief Minister M K Stalin drove the first Range Rover from the Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles JLR plant at Panapakkam, about 90 km from Chennai, in Ranipet district, marking the inauguration of the facility.To be developed in multiple phases with a total investment of ₹9,000 crore, the first phase entails an investment of ₹900 crore. The new facility brings India into the global manufacturing network of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which operates in countries including the UK, China and Brazil.In his address, the Chief Minister said the plant is not just important for Tamil Nadu but also for the country, as it manufactures world-class premium Range Rover model cars. “The facility has been commissioned within 16 months of laying the foundation stone in September 2024. Such major projects usually take three to four years for commissioning. But we have reduced the timeline by half,” he said.Highlighting the efficiency of the State government in converting MoUs in the industrial sector, he said 100 new projects will be commissioned during the ‘conversion conclave’ over the next few days.Earlier, he flagged off Range Rover Evoque cars along with Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran.Chandrasekaran said the launch of the project marks a golden day for the group. “The project is being implemented in three phases. Once all three phases are completed over the next four years, about 2.5 lakh to 3 lakh cars could be manufactured at the plant,” he added.
