Thiruvallur Car Plant Staff of 610 Set to More Than Double as Stellantis Buys Out Its Indian Partner

The Citroën factory at Thiruvallur in Tamil Nadu employs 610 people directly in 2026, and that workforce is projected to more than double as output rises. The change comes with a new owner structure. Stellantis has bought the remaining stake held by Hindustan Motor Finance Corporation, a CK Birla Group company, so the plant is now wholly its own. For assembly technicians, maintenance fitters, quality inspectors and diploma engineers around Chennai, this is a clear signal of more factory work in the region. At Metaintro we read an ownership deal like this one by asking a plain question, which is how many people the plant will need and what they must know to get through the gate. Below is what the company has actually committed to, where its numbers disagree, what skills it is paying to build and what a trainee is legally owed.

What Did Stellantis Actually Buy in Thiruvallur?

It bought out its local partner. Stellantis India acquired the stake held by Hindustan Motor Finance Corporation Ltd, a CK Birla Group company, in Stellantis Automobiles India Private Limited, the company that runs the Thiruvallur factory. The completed deal was made public on 21 September 2026 and was funded through foreign direct investment.

The partnership is not new. The two groups came together in 2017 to set up a manufacturing venture, and vehicle assembly at the plant started in 2021. What changes now is control. Full ownership gives the company a simplified governance structure and faster decision making, which should mean hiring, shift and investment calls no longer need a partner's sign off.

The product plan is less clear. The release names no specific new model, though the India chief tied growth to new product investments as well as more capacity.

How Many People Work at the Plant, and How Many More Are Coming?

The firm number is the current headcount. The direct workforce stands at 610 employees in 2026 and is projected to more than double, alongside what the company calls substantial indirect employment across its supplier and logistics network.

Read that carefully. It is a projection tied to a production ramp, not a hiring notice with a date, a list of roles or a pay scale. There is no single vacancy figure behind it, and anyone who writes a hard number of new jobs is adding arithmetic the company has not published.

There is also a second company number that looks bigger. In April, when the factory rolled out its 50,000th car, Stellantis put the plant's impact at over 1,100 direct employment opportunities created since operations began, plus several thousand indirect jobs in and around Chennai. That is a cumulative measure of jobs created over the plant's life. The September figure is the people on the direct payroll this year. Both come from the same company, so treat the 610 headcount as the baseline that will grow and the larger April figure as history, not current staffing.

The number to plan around is a direct workforce of 610 that is projected to more than double, not a list of openings you can apply for today.

Why Do the Production Targets Not Match?

Because two versions of the plan are in circulation, and the gap matters for how fast hiring could come.

The written plan is the conservative one. The official target is a ramp of over 160%, from 16,000 units in 2026 to more than 43,000 units annually by 2028.

The spoken version is faster. Quoted by the Free Press Journal, which cited a Business Standard report, Stellantis India chief Shailesh Hazela put current output at 18,000 units a year and next year's at close to 50,000 vehicles. His words were "Today, we produce 18,000 units a year", and he tied the higher figure to domestic sales and exports combined.

For job seekers the difference is timing. If the faster plan holds, a large share of the extra workforce would need to be in place by next year. If the written plan holds, hiring can spread out to 2028. Either way the direction is the same, and the production ramp is what drives the extra shifts.

What Does the Plant Build, and Where Do the Cars Go?

Four Citroën models. The line builds the Citroën C3, ë-C3, C3 Aircross and Basalt, with over 95% localization, which means almost every part in those cars is sourced inside India.

The cars are designed here too. They sit on the company's Smart Car platform, which was developed in India by R&D teams in India that led its development and industrialisation. That matters for engineers, because design, testing and industrial engineering work for this line sits in the country rather than in Europe.

Exports are a big part of the plan. Thiruvallur serves customers in eight export markets spanning four continents, with shipments going to Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Behind the factory, Chennai is one of four consolidation hubs the group uses to pack and ship parts, with Pune, Thailand and South Korea. That network moves about 233,000 cubic metres of material a year, and its volumes are projected to exceed 9,000 containers by 2030. Warehouse, packing and export documentation roles grow with that flow, not only assembly jobs.

Which Skills Is Stellantis Already Paying to Build in Tamil Nadu?

This is the most useful primary detail for anyone planning a way in, and it sits in a training programme the company runs in Chennai. Under Project INSPIRE, run with the partner group ASSIST Asia, Stellantis India set out to train 2,500 ITI and vocational students in electric vehicles, mechatronics and robotics.

The details are specific:

• Training began at NITTTR Chennai on May 26th 2025, with Chennai as the first site and Pune to follow.
• The programme aims to place 75% of students in internships or jobs, and to reach 30% female participation.
• It also targets a 20% boost to entry-level salaries for those who complete it, and certification for 200 master trainers.
• Beyond the technical modules, the course covers green skills, digital and financial literacy, health and safety, and job readiness.

The skill list is the signal. A carmaker that pays to train students in electric vehicles, robotics and mechatronics near its own plant is telling you what its future technicians need to know. If you hold a fitter, electrician or electronics trade certificate, adding electric vehicle systems or robot maintenance to it makes you a closer match for a line that is about to run more shifts. The company has also funded STEM labs at schools near the Thiruvallur plant, benefiting over 1,500 students, and faculty training through the Naan Mudhalvan programme.

What Must an Apprentice Be Paid in India Now?

Many factory careers start as an apprentice or trainee, and the minimum pay for that route rose last year. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship raised the prescribed minimum stipend under the Apprentices Act, 1961, with the new rates in force from 11th September 2025.

The monthly minimums by category are:

• Class 5 to class 9 pass-outs. At least 6,800 rupees a month, up from 5,000.
• Class 10 pass-outs. At least 8,200 rupees a month, up from 6,000.
• Class 12 pass-outs and National or State Certificate holders. At least 9,600 rupees a month, up from 7,000.
• Technician apprentices with a diploma. At least 10,900 rupees a month, up from 8,000.
• Graduate or degree apprentices. At least 12,300 rupees a month, up from 9,000.

Two rules in the same government notice protect you. Employers may offer a stipend higher than the minimum, so the table is a floor, not a ceiling. And the stipend for a month must be paid by the tenth day of the following month through the apprentice's bank account. If a trainee offer at any plant or supplier in the Thiruvallur belt comes in below these figures, ask why before you sign.

An apprentice with a diploma is now owed at least 10,900 rupees a month, and any employer is free to pay more.

Why Is Tamil Nadu Where This Growth Lands?

Because the supplier base is already there. The state builds around 25% of India's four-wheelers and around 36% of its two-wheelers, going by data from Guidance, the state investment promotion agency. Tamil Nadu contributes around 30%, or over 10.4 million, of India's automotive output of nearly 35 million.

The parts network is deep. Chennai has 100 major suppliers, 350 Tier I and Tier II suppliers and over 4,000 small and medium entrepreneurs in the component trade. That is why Stellantis expects a bigger Thiruvallur line to create indirect employment across the supplier and logistics ecosystem as well as on its own payroll. A plant running at more than double its current volume needs more seats, harnesses, stampings and trucks from those firms.

The talent pipeline is the other half. Tamil Nadu produces the highest number of engineering graduates in India each year, with a 17% share. The company itself credits Tamil Nadu's progressive industrial policies and skilled talent for the plant's growth. For a local job seeker, that also means competition, since many qualified candidates live within reach of the same gate.

How Secure Are Jobs at a Brand With a Small Market Share?

This is the honest risk. Citroën has struggled to win Indian buyers since entering in 2021 and holds just 0.2% of India's 4.7 million passenger vehicle market. A plant that plans to more than double output with a brand that small at home is betting heavily on exports.

The export bet has a clear logic. At a supply chain conference in Singapore, the regional chief operating officer put the share of Stellantis vehicles sold in the region that were imported from other production hubs at around 80%, and the stated aim is to invert that ratio by building and selling more within Asia. Thiruvallur, with its over 95% localization, is the kind of low cost base that plan needs. The company also expects free trade agreements to make India built vehicles more competitive abroad.

The money already committed is a reassurance. Stellantis has invested over €1 billion in India, which the India chief put at close to INR 11,000 crore across manufacturing, engineering and exports. If you are comparing this with Stellantis jobs in other regions, note that the India release describes the country as a market that remains central to its global growth strategy. Even so, a plant that depends on exports is exposed to shipping costs and tariffs, so ask at interview how much of your line's output is bound for overseas markets.

What This Means for Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

This is a real expansion signal, but it is an early one. The ownership deal is done, the direct workforce of 610 is projected to more than double, and the output target is published. What is missing is a recruitment page with roles, dates and pay. Our view is that the people best placed are trade certificate holders and diploma engineers who can show electric vehicle, automation or robotics skills, because that is exactly where the company is spending its own training money.

In our experience, export factory hiring in India, like iPhone assembly work, tends to reward workers who can prove specific, certified skills rather than general experience.

Here is how we would act on it:

• ITI trade holders. If you hold a fitter, electrician, electronics or mechanic certificate, add a short course in electric vehicle systems or mechatronics, and watch for Project INSPIRE intakes at NITTTR Chennai.
• Diploma and degree engineers. Look beyond the assembly line. The Smart Car platform was developed by R&D teams in India, so quality, process and industrial engineering roles are likely to grow with volume.
• Trainees. Know your floor. A diploma apprentice is owed at least 10,900 rupees a month, and payment is due by the tenth day of the next month.
• Supplier and logistics workers. Watch your own employer. The company expects substantial indirect employment across its supply chain, so overtime and hiring at parts makers and transport firms may arrive before the plant itself posts roles.

The one thing not to do is treat this as a vacancy count. The confirmed facts are a buyout, a headcount and a production goal. Build the skills the plant is paying to teach, keep your documents ready, and move when the recruitment round opens.

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People Also Asked

Q: How many people work at the Stellantis plant in Thiruvallur?

A: The plant has a direct workforce of 610 employees in 2026, and that number is projected to more than double as production rises. A separate company figure of over 1,100 direct employment opportunities counts jobs created since the plant opened.

Q: How many cars will the Thiruvallur plant build?

A: The official target is growth from 16,000 units in 2026 to more than 43,000 units annually by 2028. The India chief has also spoken of producing in the vicinity of 50,000 vehicles next year, counting domestic sales and exports.

Q: What is the minimum stipend for an apprentice in India?

A: Since 11th September 2025 the prescribed minimum runs from 6,800 to 12,300 rupees a month depending on qualification, and employers may pay more than the floor.

Ready to explore what a bigger Thiruvallur line could mean for your next move? Metaintro brings together 50M jobs so you can compare automotive, manufacturing and engineering roles around Chennai with openings across India in one place. Create a free profile and set alerts for technician, apprentice and quality roles so the recruitment round reaches you first.