New Delhi: Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is going to start completely knocked down (CKD) operations at their soon-to-be-ready facility in Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, likely from early 2026. While the capacity or product plans haven’t been revealed, though Tata Motors’ Group CFO, PB Balaji, confirmed the development and said that after a certain period, the CKD operation will be transferred from Pune to Ranipet.
Media sources have said that initially, the company will be focusing on moving the local assembly of the Evoque and Velar SUVs, which are at present being assembled in the Pune plant. As part of Phase 1, 70 acres out of the total 470-acre site have been marked for the CKD plant, which annually will be able to produce 30,000 units.
For models like Defender and Discovery, considerations are being made for the assembly at the site. Initial production is going to begin at 500 units per month and will eventually scale up to 2,500-3,000 units, with line readiness being scheduled for completion by January 2026.
The facility’s long-term plans include a second phase where the plant is expected to support production of up to 2,50,000 units annually and will focus on EVs for both parent companies, Tata Motors and JLR. Balaji has said that in the long run, the plan will have flexibility. He also noted that the Free Trade Agreement between India and the UK will facilitate faster model introduction with early market testing of products with complete CKD localisation.
At present, Tata Motors have six manufacturing facilities across India, each specialising in different vehicle segments. Their largest facility hub still remains the Jamshedpur Plant in Jharkhand, which serves as Tata Motors’ flagship facility. Established in 1945, it specialises in medium and heavy commercial vehicles along with the in-house manufacture of Tata engines. Tata bought JLR from Ford in 2008.
