Amit Saraswat 
According to online reports, Tata, the parent company of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), is set to establish a new factory in Tamil Nadu, India. This facility will serve a dual purpose of manufacturing cars for global export markets as well as catering to domestic sales within India.
Currently, JLR assembles cars in India using knock-down kits at a plant located in Pune. However, the company has not yet undertaken full-fledged manufacturing of any single model within the country. The decision to set up a factory in India follows a substantial 81% increase in year-on-year sales reported by JLR in the Indian market. Between April 2023 and 2024, the carmaker delivered a total of 4,436 cars in India.
Details regarding which specific models will be produced in India remain undisclosed at this time. When approached for comment on the matter, JLR chose to not provide any response to the reports. We expect JLR to produce the popular Land Rover models including the Land Rover Discovery Sport, and Defender.
At present, models like the Discovery Sport, Range Rover Velar, and Range Rover Evoque are manufactured in Halewood, UK, while the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport are produced in Solihull, also in the UK. The Discovery and the Defender are assembled in Nitra, Slovakia.
It is unlikely that Jaguar’s forthcoming electric vehicles will be chosen for production in India. These models are positioned as low-volume luxury cars and are likely to be produced in Solihull, UK. Furthermore, JLR’s current lineup, which is manufactured across Castle Bromwich (UK) and Graz (Austria), is slated to be phased out from sale by 2025, making way for the premium all-electric portfolio.
Despite facing financial challenges in previous years, JLR has experienced a recent resurgence, largely attributed to the successful launches of its three flagship SUVs. In the last quarter of 2023, the company recorded its highest quarterly profit in six years, amounting to GBP 627 million before tax and exceptional items.
