Chennai, Sep 28 (IANS): Tata Motors on Saturday held the groundbreaking ceremony of its new Rs 9,000 crore facility in the state that will manufacture and export next-gen vehicles for Tata Motors and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).

Situated at Panapakkam in Ranipet district, the plant will cater to both domestic and international markets, while creating over 5,000 jobs.

Tata Motors Group intends to invest Rs 9,000 crore in this greenfield manufacturing facility, which has been designed for an annual production capacity of over 250,000 vehicles.

Production will begin in a phased manner and progressively increase to reach this capacity over the next 5-7 years.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said that Tata Group is renowned for its contribution to nation building.

“We welcome Tata Motors, an auto manufacturer of global scale, for setting up its newest manufacturing facility in Panapakkam, Ranipet,” the chief minister added.

This manufacturing facility has the potential to create over 5,000 employment opportunities (direct and indirect) and contribute towards building future ready skills among the local communities in and around the plant.

In addition, the plant will use 100 per cent renewable energy for running operations, said the company.

N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons said they now intend to build an advanced vehicle manufacturing plant here using cutting-edge manufacturing technology and world-class sustainability practices.

“We are pleased to make Panapakkam as the home of our next generation of cars and SUVs, including electric and luxury vehicles. Tamil Nadu is a leading industrial state with progressive policies and an established automotive hub with qualified and talented workforce,” said Chandrasekaran.

In May this year, Tata Motors-owned JLR said it plans to start assembling the flagship Range Rover model, along with Range Rover Sport, in India for the first time, significantly bringing down the prices.

The company’s Pune plant currently assembles the Range Rover Velar, Range Rover Evoque, Jaguar F-PACE, and Discovery Sport models.