Jaguar, Land Rover Launched in India

Leaving aside a bit its new love for the Nano, Indian manufacturer Tata Motors took their most esteemed brands, Jaguar and Land Rover, and brought them home, to India. The launch of the two brands took place on Sunday, in what was a "momentous occasion for the company".

"This is in keeping with our desire to extend the penetration of the brands in India," Ratan Tata, the company's chairman was quoted as saying by Autonews.

"The luxury car market in India is very small, but there is a huge opportunity there. It is growing fast and we expect it to grow fast over the next 5 to 10 years," David Smith, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) CEO added.

"India is an important part of our plans for the future," Mike Driscoll, managing director of Jaguar told the source.

As for the line-up, the Jaguar will come to India with the Xf and Xk ranges, at prices starting from 6.3 million rupees ($130,977). Land Rover will bring three models, namely the Range Rover Sport and Land Rover Discovery 3, with the third one yet to be decided.

It is unclear yet whether this is a good move or not. The luxury car market in India is not "small", as David Smith called it, but tiny. Less than 1 percent of consumer there will go for a JLR vehicle.

For the first time in eight years, Tata Motors posted losses. From year to March 2009, the Indian manufacturer lost $520 million, with the JLR brands lost $504 million, from the beginning of the fiscal year to March 2009.