Tata Motors will use the Freelander platform produced by Chery Jaguar Land Rover (CJLR) for its upcoming Avinya premium electric vehicles, marking a strategic shift in its electric vehicle roadmap as competition intensifies in India’s fast-growing electric passenger vehicle market.
Reuters had reported that Tata Motors had turned to a Chery-linked platform after earlier plans tied to Jaguar Land Rover’s Electrified Modular Architecture (EMA) were shelved.
Confirming the development, Tata Motors said the first Avinya vehicle, scheduled for launch in India in 2027, will leverage the Freelander platform produced by CJLR and will be manufactured at the company’s recently-opened Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles–JLR facility at Panapakkam in Tamil Nadu.
“The first Avinya vehicle to be launched in India in 2027 will leverage the Freelander platform produced by CJLR and will be made at the recently opened, state-of-the-art TMPV-JLR manufacturing facility in Panapakkam, Tamil Nadu,” the company said.
Premium EV reset
The move comes as Tata Motors seeks to accelerate its premium EV programme amid rising competition from Mahindra & Mahindra, JSW MG Motor and other automakers.
The revised plan also confirms that Tata Motors had reworked its Avinya strategy after JLR’s EMA-linked India plans were dropped, forcing the company to revisit its original premium EV roadmap.
Company officials, however, clarified that Chery “will act as a supplier of platforms to be used for Avinya” and added that “there is no licensing or technology transfer being done.”
China link scrutiny
The clarification comes at a time when Indian automakers are facing increasing scrutiny over reliance on China-linked EV ecosystems for platforms, electronics and battery technologies, even as New Delhi pushes localisation and supply-chain self-reliance. “Avinya is being developed as a global premium brand for a next-generation EV portfolio to be built on multiple, scalable platforms and architectures while being anchored in Tata Motors’ design, engineering and integration capabilities,” the company said.
The automaker added that its collaboration with JLR and its partners would form “an important pillar” of its premium EV strategy, while allowing it to leverage the broader Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Group ecosystem.
Localisation watch
While Tata Motors confirmed use of the Freelander platform and production at the Tamil Nadu facility, the company did not comment that initial vehicles could arrive as kits for assembly in India or specify localisation targets for the programme.
“Avinya’s design and development will harness the global strength of the Tata Motors PV Group ecosystem, with production in India reinforcing our commitment to building competitive domestic capabilities alongside globally benchmarked vehicles,” the company said.