Hamara Jagghuaar

I came across a news article recently, Tata Motors had bought the marques Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford. This piece of news is a huge step for the Indian Automotive industry. It could turn out to be a bigger revolution than the IT sector and outsourcing for India.

These events could very well mean that Tata could now compete in the global luxury car market. This market has mainly been the bastion of the old school players, i.e. Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Bentley etc. (Note. I do not mention the Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches over here as they truly do not recent the uber rich class. You will more likely see a multimillionaire astride a Triumph than a Harley Davidson or inside an AM Vanquish than a Porsche 911.)

Now even though Jaguar wasn't exactly a profitable division of Ford it was still a league apart compared to the other road cars. Jaguar showrooms were and still are few and far between. I have seen tons of other car showrooms in Dallas but have hardly come across an exclusive Jaguar dealership.

Also this piece of news was in the wake of the unveiling of the Tata Nano. Now monetarily at least the Jag and the Nano are poles apart. Also the biggest surprise is Tata acquired the Jag, Land Rover at half the price which was initially paid by Ford to acquire these marques. The Jag thus is probably Tata's initial foray into the higher end car segment. I won't be surpised if Tata later acquires a supercar marque (McLaren anyone...) and works its way into that market share as well.

I don't know if I can own a Jag anytime but it does give a great feeling to know that a desi manufacturer is taking it to the big guns.