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Shareholders: Jaguar too much to handle for Tata?

02/21/2008, 10:32 AM

By jonaziz

Shareholders of India’s biggest truckmaker are seemingly concerned about the company’s impending acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover, as evidenced by the sale of stock. Since the announcement of Tata’s leading bid to Ford on January 3rd, the company’s stock fell 11 percent, despite the likelihood of reselling Jaguar soon after the purchase.

Major investor Thiyaga Rajan told Bloomberg he sold almost all his Tata shares because he thinks Jaguar and Land Rover are a bad fit for a company that specializes in ultra-low-cost cars. “I can’t see an iota of fit in this deal,” he said.

Tata, the Mumbai-based company, has been in the business of making cars for 10 years, with a recent announcement of making the Nano, the world’s cheapest car, reported to cost $2,500. What business does it have, then, with luxury cars costing more than 20 to 30 times its price, critics are saying.

While Ford, the world’s third biggest automaker, failed to make Jaguar consistently profitable since it purchased the luxury brand in 1990.

Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Group, defends his company’s position, citing Tata plans on growing internationally in select markets.

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02/21, 11:41 AM

posted by:

planet_drive

Jaguar is far too contaminated by Ford to show any long term promise.

02/21, 1:00 PM

posted by:

SwerveEarly

Ha ha hah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hah ah ah ahahahahah. What a disaster, they should have clued in on the fact that no established automaker took more then a sniff at this.

02/21, 1:10 PM

posted by:

RicardoHead

I think what they are worried about is that Jaguar will pull down Tata’s reputation for quality.

02/21, 1:15 PM

posted by:

johnnycanuck

Good one RHead. This is pretty funny though. These guys are rapidly making Detroit’s braintrust look like Mensa candidates.

02/21, 2:49 PM

posted by:

MY Si

Dammit Jag! Go independent! Show these people what you can do.

02/21, 3:28 PM

posted by:

jayjc08

planet_drive- What fair light said.

My si- What will that do? They need major funding right now, something going independent won’t give them. Currently Ford barely has anything to do with Jaguar, aside from MAJOR funds and using, not raping, Jaguars aluminum technologies.

02/21, 7:26 PM

posted by:

terminator

Yeah Jaguar is so rubbish that they have shown better quality in the last 2 years than any other luxury automaker. Way to go Ford you really screwed them up when you saved them from impending disaster (insert sarcasm).

 
 
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