This is not a popular view but here goes. In the United States, some Jaguar dealers are upset that the Ford-owned unit will go to an Indian company.
   Never mind that Tata is solvent and can afford greater investments on the cars. Never mind that Tata owns Corus—British Steel to us oldies. Never mind that Tata has promised to keep UK manufacturing jobs for both brands.
   No, these dealers are upset probably because Indians are not white. Not part of the old world or the new world, but, oh my goodness, they have different skin colour.
   European dealers are reportedly more relaxed as the most important element is not where the parent company is based.
   No one in American retail ever seems upset that Donna Karan is part of French conglomerate LVMH or that Stella McCartney is part of Gucci. No American consumer seems to jump up and down at the thought that Lamborghini and Bentley are owned by Volkswagen.
   These parent companies are well capitalized, have good management and a long history—just like the Tata Group.
   Sure Tata does not have a history of managing luxury brands, but did Toyota have one when it created Lexus?
   And when it comes to consumers, people are still going to buy Jags and Land Rovers for exactly the same reasons as before.
   For years, no one batted an eyelid when these brands were American-owned. They were still considered English and never American, and that’s not going to change in 2008.
   It sounds like a few dealers don’t understand their consumers very well, motivated by some redneck element that’s hardly representative of Americans in general.
   They’d better give up wearing their preppy Polo Ralph Lauren at their country clubs then. ‘Polo? Ain’t that some kinda Injun game?’ Posted by Jack Yan, 09:06  permalink

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