Who owns Jaguar Land Rover? Tata Group and Tata Sons explained - and Tata Motors UK Somerset factory plans

The government estimates that the construction of a £4 billion battery factory in the UK by Jaguar Land Rover's owner will result in the creation of about 4,000 jobs.

When it begins production in 2026, the plant, which is widely believed to be in Somerset, will rank among the biggest battery cell manufacturing facilities in Europe, and will generate about 40 gigawatt hours of battery cells per year.

That is approximately half of the battery production the UK will require by 2030, the government has claimed. The car battery factory, which is anticipated to be built close to Bridgwater in Somerset, will have close access to the new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, which is expected to open later this decade.

Voters in the nearby Somerton and Frome constituency will cast ballots on Thursday (20 July) in a by-election to choose a successor to the constituency's former MP, David Warburton. The reported construction of the new battery plant will likely play a factor.

But who exactly owns Jaguar Land Rover, and will be behind the new plant?

Who owns Jaguar Land Rover?

According to the government, subsidies were used to persuade Tata Sons, which owns Tata Group - one of India's largest business conglomerates - to construct the plant in the UK.

Asked on BBC Breakfast about a Financial Times report that the Government is providing £1.5 billion in subsidies, Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said: “That doesn’t sound right to me.” Nor would Chancellor Jeremy Hunt be drawn on how much the Government is providing to Tata, calling the discussions “commercially sensitive”.

Jaguar Land Rover is owned by Tata Motors, an Indian automotive company and a subsidiary of Tata Group. Tata Motors acquired Jaguar Cars and Land Rover in 2008 from Ford Motor Company.

Tata Motors was founded in 1945, and is one of the leading automobile manufacturers in India, with a global presence with operations in various countries. It produces a wide range of vehicles, including passenger cars, commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, and military vehicles.

Tata Group, officially known as Tata Sons Limited, is one of the largest and oldest business conglomerates in India, founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868 and headquartered in Mumbai. The Tata Group is a diversified conglomerate, with business interests in various sectors including automotive, steel, information technology, communications, hospitality, chemicals, finance, and more.

For example, Tata Steel is one of the largest steel producers in the UK, operating several steel plants, including the Port Talbot steelworks in Wales, while Tata Consumer Products also owns the Tetley Tea brand.

What has the company said?

Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said: “Our multibillion-pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to the country, helping to power the automotive sector’s transition to electric mobility, anchored by our own business, JLR."

JLR's presence in the UK already includes research and development facilities, engineering centres and manufacturing plants.

Chandrasekaran added: "I also want to thank His Majesty’s Government, which has worked so closely with us to enable this investment.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Tata Group’s decision to build their new gigafactory here in the UK – their first outside of India – is a huge vote of confidence in Britain. This will be one of the largest ever investments in the UK automotive sector.

“It will not only create thousands of skilled jobs for Britons around the country, but it will also strengthen our lead in the global transition to electric vehicles, helping to grow our economy in clean industries of the future.”