JLR to Assemble Land Rovers in India

Jaguar Land Rover today opens its first plant in India, home to parent-company Tata.

The facility, located in Pune in the Maharashtra region, will assemble Land Rover Freelander 2 SUVs from complete-knock-down kits sourced from JLR’s plant in Liverpool, U.K.

JLR CEO Ralf Speth in a statement says the move will help the auto maker grow in the rapidly expanding Indian market.

“We are excited about the prospect of assembling cars in Pune for the Indian market, where we have achieved significant growth since we opened our first showroom in 2009.”

JLR vehicles already on sale in India include the Jaguar XJ, XF and XK, as well as the Land Rover Discovery 4, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover.

To ensure quality at the Pune plant, assembly of the CKDs will be overseen by experienced manufacturing and quality managers that have recently been transferred from the U.K. to India, the auto maker says.