Tata Motors says to align production at TN unit with market requirements

Tata Motors will align production timelines of specific models of its vehicles as well as those of Jaguar Land Rover at its upcoming new facility in Tamil Nadu in line with the broader strategy and market requirements, it said.

The auto major’s new greenfield facility in the southern State, coming up in Ranipet at a cost of $1 billion, will be making next-gen cars as well as sport utility vehicles for both Tata Motors and JLR.

Earlier, Reuters reported that Jaguar Land Rover had shelved plans to build electric vehicles at the plant, attributing the information to supplier sources, which it quoted as saying that all work on JLR EVs had been suspended for about two months. According to the report JLR was unable to find the right price-quality balance for locally sourced EV parts.

“We continue to explore ways to optimise supply chain both for Tata Motors and for JLR” a Tata Motors spokesperson said.

Phased manner

The company added that production will progressively increase in a phased manner to reach peak capacity over the next 5-7 years.

“The specific models and production timelines will be aligned with TPEM (Tata Passenger Electric Mobility) and JLR’s broader strategy and market requirements while ensuring world-class quality and efficiency,” it said.

Construction on the new plant started in September last year and according to the original plans JLR was to make around 70,000 electric cars at the plant while TPEM around 25,000 units, in addition to the other higher-end range of vehicles. It has an annual production capacity of over 2.5 lakh vehicles, which will be sold both in India and overseas.