BackTata Motors boosts war chest for luxury car deals
Jaguar Land Rover, the luxury car unit of Tata Motors Ltd, is scouting for acquisitions of international automakers amid rising competition in the industry
Premium
Mumbai: Jaguar Land Rover, the luxury car unit of Tata Motors Ltd, is scouting for acquisitions of international automakers amid rising competition in the industry, people with knowledge of the matter said.
The company has been holding internal discussions on buying other brands to diversify the range of vehicles it sells, the people said. It will consider purchases of luxury marques that fit with its current portfolio, according to one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. JLR is also weighing purchases of technology companies that would boost the company’s efforts to roll out electric cars and autonomous driving systems, another person said.
Tata Motors had amassed Rs39,760 crore of cash and equivalents at the end of June, up 87% from a year ago, data compiled by Bloomberg show. That’s the second biggest among listed Indian companies, trailing Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL). The company plans to use that record hoard to add new products, technology and manufacturing capacity, Tata Motors group chief financial officer C. Ramakrishnan said by email earlier this month.
Senior officials at JLR’s ultimate owner Tata group believe the carmaker needs to bulk up to stay competitive, and the Indian conglomerate is willing to provide financial support for potential acquisitions if needed, one of the people said. Any deal would mark the first acquisition by JLR since Tata Motors bought the brands for about $2.4 billion in 2008, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
Maserati, Alfa Romeo
Tata Motors gets about 78% of its revenue from the luxury car brands, according to the Bloomberg-compiled data. No final decisions have been made, and there’s no certainty the deliberations will lead to a transaction, the people said. Representatives for Tata group and JLR declined to comment.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV is considering options including a plan to spin off the Maserati and Alfa Romeo sports-car brands in order to sharpen its focus on mass-market vehicles, people familiar with the discussions said in August. Volkswagen AG has been weighing the sale of non-core assets, including Italian motorcycle brand Ducati, people with knowledge of the matter have said.
In June, JLR said it was working with Lyft Inc. on autonomous-driving technology and will offer vehicles for rent to the San Francisco-based startup’s drivers. The automaker also said it had invested $25 million in Lyft as part of a funding round that closed in April, valuing the business at $7.5 billion.
Jaguar will begin selling its I-PACE electric-powered sport utility vehicle next year, and already has 25,000 orders for it, company chief executive officer Ralf Speth said this month. Bloomberg
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
