The foundation stone for Tata Motors’ new plant at Panapakkam SIPCOT, Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, which would manufacture sports cars and SUVs, was set on Saturday by Chief Minister M K Stalin of Tamil Nadu. The carmaker’s facility, which would need an investment of Rs 9,000 crore, will manufacture next-generation cars for Tata Motors and its British division, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).

Over the next five to seven years, the plant is scheduled to attain a capacity of 2.50 lakh units annually, with manufacturing starting in stages, according to Tata Motors. Panapakkam, some 115 kilometers from Chennai, hosted the groundbreaking event. 5,000 additional jobs are anticipated to be created by the plant.

In addition to the chief minister, the groundbreaking event included participation from Tata Sons Ltd. chairman N Chandrasekaran and senior DMK ministers Durai Murugan, TRB Rajaa, and Chief Secretary N Muruganandam. In addition to serving local and international markets, the facility would operate on renewable energy.

Stalin expressed happiness about Tata Motors’ intention to establish a production plant in Tennessee. “Tamil Nadu ranks #1 among investment destinations for global firms as well as large Indian enterprises. The fact that Chandrasekaran is attending this occasion makes us very happy. “Leading a globally recognized company and hailing from Namakkal district, he is an asset to the state,” Stalin said.

Chandrasekaran said, “We are happy to establish Panapakkam as the home of our next line of automobiles and SUVs, which includes premium and electrified models. Tamil Nadu is a prominent industrial state with forward-thinking laws, a well-established automotive center, and a skilled labor force.”

He said that after the state of Tamil Nadu served as the operational base for a number of Tata Group enterprises, “we now intend to build our advanced vehicle manufacturing plant here using cutting-edge manufacturing technology and world-class sustainability practices.”

“Our endeavour will be to have a high share of women employees across levels, in line with our focus towards greater empowerment of women,”  stated Chandrasekaran.

One of the most significant investments Tamil Nadu has lately received is from Tata Motors, which has invested Rs 9,000 crore. A previous commitment of Rs 16,000 crore was made by Vinfast, a company located in Vietnam, to establish an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Tuticorin’s southern area.