Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is reportedly considering to acquire at least one luxury brand in its efforts to stay competitive. The Tata-owned British company recorded its highest sales ever in 2016, shifting 583,313 vehicles globally – up 20% from the previous year, making 2016 the most successful year ever in its 95-year history.
According to a report by Automotive News Europe, Tata Motors raked $6.1 billion USD in cash and equivalents by June this year, and the acquisition of another brand(s) may well push sales past the golden one million mark. JLR is currently having internal discussions to determine if the move will help diversify its range and whether or not it fits the current portfolio.
Key officials from Tata Group have apparently offered financial support for the potential takeover. If it materialises, the deal would be the first acquisition by JLR since it was bought over by Tata in 2008. JLR hasn’t specified which brand it’s currently looking at, but it appears that Maserati and Alfa Romeo are possible candidates. The former however, seems to fit the bill, seeing as it’s positioned in the ultra-premium market, above both Jaguar and Land Rover.
To recap, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) plans to offload three of its luxury brands – Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari – but remains selective in the process of finding the right buyer. This is to boost returns for Exor, a holding company with 29.41% stake in FCA.
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Jaguar-Tata on buying spree.
Meanwhile we keep selling. JDT fancy plate any1?
it is hard to imagine Ferrari under the ownership of Tata. Looking at how Tata overturned JLR into something profitable and very desirable with various choices of models. Ferrari can be another success story of Tata Group, even though it is already doing very well in sales and also racing.
Reviving Alfa Romeo brand is a good step too, imagine Sisma or Sime Darby open up a new Alfa Romeo distributorship.
Alfa Romeo distributorship is truly sexy indeed.
What a shame, Sisma priced Jaguar out of competition.
Ferrari is now a standalone company, no longer under FCA, right?
This article isn’t quite accurate.
JLR is not presently looking at either Maserati nor Alfa Romeo, as the Agnelli family behind the Exor group is keen on holding on to those high-value marques to further their profits. Reports from Bloomberg, citing sources that went directly to them, said that JLR is considering either a luxury car marque or a tech company, with the goal to forward their electric and autonomous ambitions within its range. That is inconsistent with what Maserati and Alfa Romeo presently offer, with their ranges both receiving plenty of flak from journos worldwide for their lack of meaningful advance driver assistance systems.
The Italians seems a bit slow (or reluctant?) to fully adopt the autonomous techs which apparently have been implemented & pushed to the extreme by the Germans giants. Do we really need all these self-driving automated thingy? It seems that is the trend right now..
Imagine you buy a Ferrari and ask the computer to drive for you.
Or fire your driver, and let the computer drive your Phantom.
Autonomous or whatever driving aids are either for lower range vehicle owners who don’t have the money for good drivers, or for those who either have suboptimal vision/eyesight or reduced reflex capability, or both.
And are Alfa Romeo and Maserati truely more luxurious than Range Rover and Jaguar, until JLR needs their assistance to elevate the image and status? Who said that?
As far as i know Tata only makes lorry..balak..byk kat sarawak..wat ia ths pulak…jaguar dia punya ke..
Tata is one of the biggest motovehicles company in the world today and extremely profitable.
tata india owns jaguar and land rover. have u been living in a cave for the past 3 years ?