Tata buying spree rumors
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.
- Permalink | Comments (4)
- Posted by: Bob Holland April 29, 2008, 4:00 AM
- Categories: Auto Industry, Jaguar, Land Rover, Tata Motors, Volkswagen
Pininfarina is a very influential company. Having their resources could prove valuable in Europe.
I still stand that these automakers are buying motorcycle companies to increase average fleet mileage.
estreka,
Do you mean increasing average mileage as in CAFE or just as a PR move to skew the numbers for marketing purposes? If the former, do motorcycles count towards CAFE ratings? Or is it just cars?
Interesting thought.
I mean real mileage, not PR. I would imagine it would count toward fleet mileage. I'll ask John O'Dell. He's the expert.
Interesting theory, does anyone know for sure?
I would guess "no".