Fresh off nailing down the Jaguar/Land Rover deal; there are rumors that Tata is interested in getting a stake in both MV Agusta, the hyper-performance Italian motorcycle maker; and Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina.

It's interesting to note that both VW (VW and Ducati?) and now Tata, are interested in getting an exotic motorcycle brand under their large umbrellas.

As for Pininfarina, Tata is aiming to take a minority holding in the firm, partnering up with the French industrial group, Bollore, with up to a 100-million euro capital increase. It's expected that Tata and Bollare will cut down the Pininfarina family's share from 55-percent to 30-percent.

Full story here and here.

Now that Tata has taken on the burden of reviving Jaguar and Land Rover, we can look back on this ill-fated Ford-Jaguar-Land Rover saga. That's exactly what AutoObserver has done; what went right (not a whole lot), and what went wrong (a whole lot).

The Jaguar/Land Rover Sale: It’s Best Not to Add Up How Much Ford Wasted

We're so used to Land Rover as being a luxury brand that we sometimes forget that its roots are strictly utilitarian. Remember the anvil-like Land Rover Defender? While certainly "premium, it's hardly "luxurious."

So now we have this Land Rover Freelander 2 Commercial, which is aimed at "commercial" customers. Think of our LR2, but without a rear seat and minus all of the luxury items. What it does have is a fixed head bulkhead behind the front seats, a rubber floor mat in the back, fixed and blacked out rear windows, side window guards and rear lashing points to secure cargo.

It will be introduced at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham in a few weeks. As you might expect, it's for the UK market, and probably the rest of Europe as well. Don't expect it here, however.

Full story here.

Here's Inside Line's take: Land Rover Introduces Freelander 2 Commercial

After months of will-they or won't-they, of when and for how much, Tata and Ford have finally inked a deal that will transfer ownership of the iconic British brands to the Indian Tata Motors. The price is reportedly close to $2.3 billion. In addition Ford will contribute $600 million to Jaguar Land Rover pension plans.

Full story here.

Here's Auto Observer's take: Ford Sells Jaguar, Land Rover to India's Tata for $2.3 Billion and Tata Gets Near-Death Jaguar, Recovering Land Rover from Ford In U.S.

Here's Inside Line's take: Ford Sells Jaguar, Land Rover to Tata and Tata Faces Major Work on Jaguar, Land Rover

It sounds like we may be seeing some off-road-ready vehicles using hybrid power sometime in the future. At the recent NAIAS Jeep showed a hybrid Renegade (above) and Land Rover displayed their urban cruiser LR-X, both using hybrid power. In addition, the U.S. Army is developing a new diesel-electric ‘Alternative Mobility Vehicle’. For the Army, cutting fuel consumption is important because it constitutes 70% of the material it has to move into combat zones.

Jeep engineer Doug Quigly states that electric power is perfectly suited for off-roaders. “It’s perfect for rock crawling, hill climbing and hill descent,” he said. In addition he noted that hybrid vehicles also are able to travel in relative silence, a boon for traveling in the outdoors without disturbing the natural surroundings.

Full story here.

Hey, Insiders,

IL spent a day driving the one-and-only million dollar Land Rover LRX Concept vehicle in New York City.

It has a diesel-hybrid powertrain and will purportedly get 50 mpg. Its visually futuristic design looks as if it is caught in a wind tunnel.

What do you think? Should Land Rover put it into production?

Read the Land Rover LRX Concept feature on Inside Line.

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

According to Land Rover (and former Lincoln) head designer Gerry McGovern, the company's small, two-door concept, the LRX, has quite a lot of premiumness. Now you might be asking, "Is premiumness really a word?" And we would answer, "No. No, it is not."

Still, McGovern is convinced that this bulky little number "oozes premiumness." We're not sure we noticed that but the LRX is a sort of inevitable vehicle for Land Rover. The times have changed. Not just in the 60 years that Land Rover has been making vehicles, but in the last 10. The "SUV" market is now packed to the fender gills by tall wagons with angry trucklike faces. And essentially that's what we're looking at in the LRX. The vehicle isn't a runner. It's just there to show Land Rover's "bold" new design direction.

The company is hinting that something like the LRX will go into production. A little less likely to make it to Land Rover showrooms in the near future is the diesel-hybrid powertrain that theoretically powers the LRX. With an electric motor at the rear axle and a 2.0-liter diesel under the hood, Land Rover claims the LRX would get more than 50 miles per gallon and be able to drive up to 20 mph on electric power alone.

Like virtually everything around the soon-to-be-sold Land Rover, though, the future of the LRX is uncertain. -- Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit

What appeared to be a done deal just a couple of weeks ago, the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover by Ford to Tata, is still under discussion by all parties. And to throw a possible wrench into works, Moody's Investor Services is casting some doubt as to whether this is even a good idea.

"Should (Tata Motors) proceed with the transaction and acquire these two businesses, it will face considerable execution and integration challenges," Moody’s said. The rating service noted that though Tata has a strong position in the low-to-medium segments in India, the acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover would expose the company to the luxury product segment in wider global markets, which would increase the material risk to the automaker.

So, what all this mean? Don't know yet—but stay tuned...

Here's AutoObserver's take: Jaguar, Land Rover Good Fit for Tata? Moody’s Says Possibly Not

Long rumored, the sale by Ford of Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata of Mumbai, India appears to be close to being a done deal. Tata is part of the Tata Group, which is a large Indian conglomerate that has holdings in hotels, trucks  tea and more. In addition Tata makes some bottom-feeder cars, which should make for an interesting juxtaposition (and a marketing challenge!) by adding these two luxury car brands.

Here's AutoObserver's take: The Sun Rises on an Indian Auto Empire: Tata Buys Jag, Rover

Images of the Land Rover Coupe concept images have found their way onto the Net. Obviously this stylish 2-door is yet another attempt to blur (or expand) the definition of what an SUV is.

Leaked: Land Rover Concept