Section: Tata
Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 28th, 2008 3:00 PM
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With the ink barely dry on the deal to acquire Jaguar and Land Rover, Tata Motors is reportedly looking at the possible investment in another European manufacturer.
This time the target is said to be Italian motorcycle company MV Agusta, with several Indian and Italian sources reporting that Ratan Tata is currently in talks with MV’s Claudio Castiglioni about purchasing a stake in the company. The Tata Motors chairman has already proven that he has expensive tastes, previously expressing interest in acquiring a portion of Ferrari, and could be a good fit for the automaker’s portfolio.
MV has developed some impressive products, even on the smallish budget the company currently operates under, and could be even more of a player with an influx of Indian cash. Have a look at one of the newer MVs, the super bad Brutale 910R, in our gallery below.
+ Autoblog: Rumormill: Tata looking to buy stake in MV Agusta
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 24th, 2008 11:00 AM
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Ford cleared one major hurdle in completing its sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to Indian automaker Tata on Wednesday, receiving the go-ahead from U.S. government antitrust officials.
Authorities from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said in a notice on Wednesday that they had completed a review of the $2.3 billion dollar deal and had no plans to take actions to block the move.
This latest small victory over the mass of legislative red tape will help to put Tata on a path to be a builder of among the most diverse portfolios of vehicles on the planet. Tata officially announced that it would be buying Land Rover and Jag last month.
A smattering from the future Tata empire in the galleries below.
+ Automotive News: TATA GETS US ANTITRUST OK FOR JAGUAR, LAND ROVER (subscription required)
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 3rd, 2008 1:00 PM
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Tata Motors is apparently moving right ahead in its plans for newly acquired Jaguar and Land Rover. The Indian automaker is said to have already green-lighted the funds needed for each brand to start on a new project.
For Jaguar that means that a Porsche 911-fighting sports car could be on its way down the pipe. The car, which is known within the company as either the XE or F-Type, has been a possibility for a while now, but languished under Ford ownership because of its possible competitiveness with Aston Martin.
Land Rover meanwhile is expected to get the go-ahead on its LRX project, with reports specifying that the SUV will be built in the UK. Both projects are tentatively planned to hit the market by around 2012.
(Have a look at the Land Rover LRX in our gallery below.)
+ Autoblog: REPORT: Tata green-lights LRX and Jag sportscar
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Written By: David Yang
March 31st, 2008 1:00 PM
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Tata has caught the media limelight recently by closing a deal with Ford, and purchasing its British brands Jaguar and Land Rover for $2.3 billion. In the mean time, the third largest Indian passenger automaker is also eying a project in Southeast Asia.
According to the Business Standard, an Indian business daily, Tata Group will likely get permission from Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOL - Foreign Investment Department of Thailand) for manufacturing the Nano eco-car in the country, as the Thai government would like more cars with low emissions on its roads.
(Click on the jump below to read more.)
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
March 26th, 2008 9:00 AM
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After months of speculation, posturing, and negotiation, Ford has confirmed the sale of British brands Jaguar and Land Rover to Indian automaker Tata Motors today.
The much-guessed at final purchase price for the two historic marques has been settled at $2.3 billion, though Ford has agreed to infuse attendant pension funds with an additional $600 million when the deal fully closes early this summer. Regulatory approvals are all that are needed to finalize the sale.
(Click through the jump to read on or on the thumbnails below to look at galleries of the latest Jaguar, Land Rover, and Tata products.)
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
March 11th, 2008 11:00 AM
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Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata has said that he may not be opposed to licensing other companies to manufacture the Nano microcar. Though there are no such plans as yet, Tata said that he would consider that option if his company was unable to meet Nano demand on its own.
This pressure to live up to possible demand for the world’s most inexpensive car, comes at a time when many global manufacturers are looking to penetrate the blooming Indian market with their own low-priced vehicles.
In addition to making sure its vehicles are produced in sufficient quantities, it seems that Tata Motors is taking steps to ensure potential customers will be able to get financing as well. Tata Managing Director Ravi Kant has said that customers could expect financing “innovations,” when they decide to purchase a Nano. Due to the Nano’s low price, many potential customers would likely be forced to deal with the two-wheeler finance market in India, which has been suffering of late.
+ Business Standard: Open to granting mfg licence for Nano: Tata
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
March 7th, 2008 10:30 AM
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While Tata Motors is in the final stages of its Jaguar and Land Rover takeover, the imperialist eye of company chief Ratan Tata has moved to a new potential target. Tata has already become strongly involved with Fiat and is now reportedly mulling the possible acquisition of a stake in Ferrari.
Fiat actually increased its stake in Ferrari to 85 percent at the same time Tata joined the Italian automaker’s board of directors in 2006. Fiat still owns an option to buy a further 5 percent of the legendary sports car builder, and it’s that option that is reportedly titillating the Tata chief.
The move would make a measure of personal sense for Mr. Tata, who has admitted to dreaming of being a participant in the running of the Ferrari empire. Meanwhile, the sale could also benefit Ferrari, which continues to explore expansion in the burgeoning Indian market.
+ Motor Authority: Tata could buy stake in Ferrari
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
March 7th, 2008 8:00 AM
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Executives from Indian automaker Tata have said that they will bring the Nano microcar to Europe, only if the car can achieve the highest possible safety rating.
Tata’s director of the Nano program, Girish Wagh, said, “We will only bring the Nano to Europe if it achieves a four-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test.” That’s a tall order for a car that currently doesn’t even have airbags. Though, as Wagh pointed out at the car’s European debut in Geneva, the Nano does have a full protective frame to help it meet Indian safety standards.
Managing director for Tata Motors, Ratan Tata, is sure that the Nano will be added to the European sales mix, though the time frame for that is still unclear. Tata did make it clear that the plans include bringing the Nano to all parts of Europe.
” We are not restricting ourselves to eastern Europe. We will definitely look at western Europe. We already have distributors in Italy and Spain,” said Tata.
(Check out some images of the Tata Nano, live from the Geneva Motor Show, in our gallery below.)
+ Automotive News: Tata wants 4-star safety for Nano (subscription may be required)
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Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
March 5th, 2008 6:00 PM
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Despite earlier reports flying around the blogosphere that Tata Motors would acquire Jaguar and Land Rover, then sell Jag and move LR to India, Ratan Tata maintains that his company will retain the British heritage of the two.
“Our plan would be to retain the image, the touch and the feel of Jaguar and Land Rover. We will not tinker with the brands in any way. They are special global brands and whoever acquires them has a responsibility to nurture them and enable them to prosper,” Tata said at the Geneva Motor Show.
He also said that Tata would not move Jaguar or Land Rover production from the UK, as was speculated and feared by the UK labor unions. He said, “We are conscious that the brands belong to Britain. These brands will continue to belong to Britain.”
Tata also noted that the company would maintain the existing management structure for the brands.
+ Automotive News: Tata will keep Jaguar, Land Rover’s heritage
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Written By: Phil Floraday
March 5th, 2008 9:30 AM
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Tata’s $2500 Nano has been making headlines all over the world since it debuted, but this is the first time we’ve been able to examine the car in person. It’s slightly larger than a Toyota iQ and looks as cheap as you would imagine. When people closed the doors, the entire car shook. We aren’t saying that makes the Nano a bad car and we doubt anyone expected it to be bank vault-solid for such a low price.
The Nano looks pretty decent for what it is, but it’s hard to judge a car built for markets like India when you’re used to seeing half-ton pickups running around as daily drivers. We’re sure this car will sell millions of units, and that Ratan Tata will profit handily from the sales. Meanwhile, we’re trying to find an excuse to book a flight to India and give the Nano a proper test.
Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
February 25th, 2008 5:00 PM
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Tata will officially announce its purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford on March 5 or March 6, according to Automotive News.
The agreement date comes after last week’s talks with trade union leaders. Roger Maddison, national officer of Unite, the largest union in the UK auto industry, told Automotive News Europe, that Tata had agreed to meet the job guarantees sought by the unions. He said, “Everything seems fine as far as we are concerned; it’s just the lawyers working on it now.”
(More details after the jump)
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Written By: Dustin P. Walsh
February 24th, 2008 1:30 PM
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Despite the grapevine budding aplenty with talks of Tata unloading Jaguar and moving Land Rover production to India, the British union Unite dispels the rumors with confidence.
“We are confident our members’ long-term future is best served by Tata,” said Dave Osborne, national secretary for vehicle building at the Unite union. “They totally ruled out offloading Jaguar or building Land Rovers in India. There’s a couple of clarifications we still need from Ford, but I don’t see any issues arising from that.”
So, he may know more than most concerning the deal, but we’ll all have to wait and see whether Ratan Tata pulls the carpet out from under ‘em.
+ Automotive News: British union confident over Jaguar after Tata talks
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