Saar: The model that marked the production milestone was the refreshed Tigor.

In August this year, Tata Motors announced that it will invest to expand operations at its facility in Sanand, Gujarat. Back then, it also reported that the plant had produced over 4.5 lakh vehicles since its inception in 2010. Now, the homegrown automaker has confirmed that its Sanand plant has surpassed the 5-lakh production milestone. The model that marked the feat was the recently launched Tata Tigor facelift.

The Sanand plant, when it went operational about eight years back, was producing just one model – the Nano. Now though, it rolls out the Tiago and Tigor models well. In fact, it is this plant where Tata Motors produced its first-ever pure electric vehicle – the Tigor EV. The said vehicle, which is still not available for customers to purchase, has been the choice for EESL (Energy Efficiency Services Ltd.), a state-run organisation which has taken the responsibility to replace all conventional vehicles in use for government officials with pure electric cars.

Apart from producing models spread across 21 variants with 150 vehicle combinations, the Sanand facility also manufactures petrol and diesel engines. The list includes the Revotron 1.2-litre (manual and AMT), the Revotorq 1.05-litre diesel, the 0.6-litre MPFI petrol (manual and AMT) and the 1.2-litre NGTC petrol (manual and AMT). To accommodate everything, the plant is spread across 1,100 acres of land and currently contributes to about 60 per cent of the overall passenger vehicle sales for Tata Motors.

Tata Motors claims that the plant is presently operating at 100 per cent capacity. The incoming investment to expand the facility’s operations will also make room for some of the upcoming models for the company. The list includes the Tata Harrier, for which the company recently started accepting bookings and is expected to launch it in India early next year, and the 45X Concept hatchback. In other words, the facility will be upgraded to accommodate the production of models which will be underpinned by the OMEGA and ALFA platforms.