February19
India's Tata Motors emerged as the preferred bidder for Ford's Jaguar and Land Rover brands, but it looks as though Tata prefers one luxury marque over the other. A new report finds that Tata will likely sell off the Jaguar brand as soon as it acquires it from Ford.
"Jaguar will be spun off almost immediately," a source familiar with the situation told Inside Line. The news will likely catch Britain's labor unions off guard as they supported the sale of the brands to Tata in order to keep jobs in the UK.
The Land Rover brand has far more support from Tata, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Land Rover's production will stay entirely — if at all — in the UK. The same source also told Inside Line that company head Ratan Tata has purchased a 450-acre plot of land outside New Delhi where he plans to build a Land Rover production facility.
While Tata or Ford has yet to comment on the report, it appears as though the future of Jaguar will remain in question — even after its exchanges owners.
land rover will suck now
I hope they sell jag
We know Tata doesn't care about the history of the companies. They want Land Rover (Reason? Look at the roads in India, they'll need LR!) AND the technology they can get with the brand and from Ford. I think it will spell eventual death of both brands if Tata gets them.
Maybe it's time the British government stepped in to save their treasured brands.. if they were so concerned about preserving their heritage and history, they wouldn't have let them all go to the Germans so easily a decade ago.
It really is a crying shame that a company like Jaguar with such a rich history in both car manufacturing and racing is going to be smacked around the market like some toy, people should learn their place in the world.
The end of British brands as we know it.
Ha! They're gonna pawn off Jaguar on Geely!
This is what you get for trusting the tata's. And ah, looks like Land Rover's gonna go down the shitter. What a shame. I like how big business will say anything to get its way, and then turn around and fist f*** you. There's always a loophole for the snakes to slither thru.
Business can be harsh, cruel and unfair. I wish someone like Richard Branson or some other English multi-billionaire would buy Jaguar and restore their image to their previous historical state…in which it was a prestige to drive a Jag.
1c3d0g is right: where are the Brits in this mess? I say take the Queen off my Canadian currency. She's a f*cking joke and so is any sense of pride that country once had.
zoomzoomr I'd rather the british government saved Jaguar than Northern Rock… Northern Rock's temporary public status will cost the country £110bn plus £2bn in legal costs for all shareholders suing for reduced share value…
Buying Jag back to the UK would be a much cheaper alternative, and probably more profitable
JohnnyBlazE you're right.
Also johnnycanuck, "where are the brits in this mess"? I don't know where they are, but I think we're all completely pissed off by all this, that's for sure.
Please let's not do another TVR…
Oh please all you biased and uninitiated, see below 10 great reasons why Tata will be fantastic for JLR…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
erm
6.
7.
damn this is hard!
8.
9.
Anyone help me out here?
Meant to add that both LR an Jag are now both profitable - first time in years. Looks like Jag will be sold off and LR asset stripped, and shipped in boxes to India. Oh joy
How come Jaguar wont just become independent?
"Business can be harsh, cruel and unfair.
Comment by 1c3d0g, posted on February19 at 8:00 pm "
Particularly when you're dealing with the Indians. They've been known to be a bit "shifty" in the past, and this move by Tata proves it.
This is bad news. Dont Land Rover and Jaguar share a bunch of engines too? I'm glad Aston Martin got away from the Indian companies. This just pisses me off now. Jaguar is a great brand and I think that it and Land Rover should stay together no matter where they go.
Really is anyone surprised.
Branson and anyone else in England smart enough to have the money to buy Jag is smart enough to keep their money in their pocket. If an Englishman buys Jag he will have to keep producton in England or be persecuted in the press.
Anyone buy a Stanley tool lately. Used to be mid-level quality made in USA tool. In 90s got sold to foreign company to market lower quality foreign crap on hard earned long standing good name of Stanley tool. Put the name on shoes, radios, coolers whatever they thought fit image and would sell on Walmart shelfs.
Pay backs a bitch, Indian dude has to be feeling pretty good about himself getting a Iconic piece of a country that once ruled and raped your country of its resources and sovernty.<spelled wrong?
Sovereignty***
SwerveEarly, you're right there. It is popular business practice to make shit where the labor costs are cheap as possible. Any English business man wouldn't be able to pass up the opportunity to have his LandRovers built in the desert somewhere, at half the cost. Half the quality too, but half the cost.
Why do you guys view this thing as a positive thing? Let alone a hurtful thing? C'mon, most of you were ashamed of the purchase in the first place, most likely Tata is going to sell Jaguar because they see the XF as a long term investment, they don't want to be dedicated for Jaguar, and feel they can sell Jaguar, with the XF and mechanics added at an even higher price than they bought it for. You guys have nothing to complain about, it'll probably go back into "English" hands…
thinksmart- Don't you think that comment was a little ironic? I mean your name and all? I can think of one…
If I think for a while, that is.
Ford should sell Volvo and keep Jaguar. Typical, Ford spends alot of money to develop Jaguar's new products and then wastes that R & D money by selling the division to Toodles, ah, Tata.
If LRs get made in India the brand is instantly dead, they must know this, right?