Land Rover Saved Tata Motors' Quarter

By John Rosevear – May 30, 2013 at 5:03PM

NYSE: TTM

Tata Motors

Analysts expected a tough quarter from Tata Motors as Indian new-car sales have plummeted. But Tata beat estimates, thanks to big growth from Jaguar and Land Rover.

Analysts thought India's Tata Motors (TTM) was crazy to buy long-troubled Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford (F 0.08%) back in 2008 -- but lately, the British luxury brands' growth has been strong.

In fact, thanks to Jaguar and Land Rover, Tata's first-quarter profits beat estimates -- despite a big slowdown in new-car sales in India. In this video, Fool contributor John Rosevear looks at Tata's plans to build on its British holdings' success -- and at how those plans are likely to play out around the world.

Fool contributor John Rosevear owns shares of Ford. Follow him on Twitter at @jrosevear. The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Ford. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.