NEW DELHI: Tata Motors shares plunged nearly 4 per cent in morning trade on Friday after reports emerged that the company owned JLR will temporarily halt production and reduce the workforce by about 500 at its engine factory in Wolverhampton (UK) to adjust for low demand.

JLR has been in hot water of late over uncertainties around Brexit, low demand for diesel vehicles and a weak demand in JLR’s major market, China.

Shares of the Tata Motors opened at Rs 173.50 on BSE and touched intraday high and low of Rs 175 and 170.50, respectively, in trade so far.

Around 9:40 am, shares of the company traded at RS 173.15 apiece, down 2.34 per cent. Equity benchmark was 0.51 per cent up at 36,355 at that time.

YES Bank, Wipro, Mahindra & Mahindra and ONGC were trading as the top gainers in the Sensex kitty.

Adani Ports, Vedanta and NTPC were among the losers in the Sensex index.