India's Tata puts Jaguar, Land Rover back on track

Jaguar Land Rover has announced record UK sales for 2012, but what has been the secret of its success? A stagnant economy with high unemployment and, even for those in work, a lack of job security, might not seem like market conditions conducive to selling luxury cars.

For those of you who read my blog, you know that I’ve had an interest in Tata’s acquisition of Jaguar and Rover.

India's top vehicle maker Tata Motors on Thursday posted a rise in quarterly sales but stagnant profits as rising raw material costs affected its bottom line.The auto giant reported a consolidated net profit of 20 billion rupees ($444 million dollars) in the three months to the end of June, up 0.6 percent year-on-year from 19.88 billion rupees.Analysts had expected profit around the 21 billion rupees mark.Sales for the April-June period jumped 24 percent to 333.91 billion rupees, said the company, which owns British luxury car brands Jaguar and Land Rover.

SOLIHULL, En

British luxury car maker Jaguar Land Rover, owned by India's Tata Motors, plans to open its first assembly plant in India by the end of May, a report said Tuesday.The Freelander, Land Rover's sport-utility-vehicle (SUV) will be assembled at the factory in Pune city, in the western state of Maharashtra, a spokesman for the British-based brand told Dow Jones Newswires."We are still in talks with executives from Tata Motors...on an exact date" for opening the plant, the unnamed spokesman said. "But, end of May would seem realistic enough."