Tata Motors-owned JLR wants to Make in, with, and for India: CEO

Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it plans to harness India's skills and expertise and work towards making advanced vehicles in and for the country.

Speaking at the soft launch of the new National Automotive Innovation Centre in Warwick recently, JLR CEO Ralf Speth said the UK-based car manufacturer had grown to become a global player in the luxury, premium and performance marketplace under the Tata Group's ownership.

"The opportunity for today and tomorrow is to harness India's rich expertise and skill in a new mobility ecosystem. Not just to Make in India, but to Make with India and to Make for India," said Speth.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi said 'Make in India' is a lion's step. From the home of the British Jaguar, we encourage and support you in taking this Indian 'lion's step'," he said.

The National Automotive Innovation Centre, a 150-million-pound facility, is dubbed as the largest single automotive facility in Europe, now renamed as Lord Bhattacharyya Building in honour of the Indian-origin founder and chairman of the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG).

Bhattacharyya said that Tata Motors' JLR specialists have already started working together with academics and experts from WMG to develop the cars of the future, and that the new centre will become an "innovation hub".

JLR experts noted that autonomous, connected, electrified and shared vehicles will define future mobility, something that has been categorised by the company as Destination Zero zero emissions, zero accidents and zero congestion.

"Collaborations are vital for no company alone can deliver Destination Zero. This is why JLR, Tata and WMG have together now invested 150 million pounds in the largest single automotive technology facility in Europe, now officially named as Lord Bhattacharya building," said Speth.

"Ten years ago, (Tata Group Chairman Emeritus) Ratan Tata had the vision to bring Jaguar Land Rover into the Tata family. Since then, JLR has grown to become a global player in the luxury, premium and performance marketplace, an exemplar of British invention and engineering excellence," he added.

The soft launch of the new centre, which took place last week, coincided with a conference jointly hosted by WMG, Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) and the Consulate of India as part of the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Festival.