Jaguar and Land Rover are iconic British luxury auto brands. Jaguar started in the 1930s, while Land Rover followed a decade later. They've had a unique ownership history over the decades. While they started independently, they have undergone several ownership changes over the years, often linked together under a single owner.
That's the case today. Jaguar Land Rover Automotive is a subsidiary of Tata Motors. It became part of the Indian automaker in 2008 when the company acquired both brands from Ford (F 0.94%). Tata Motors is part of the larger group of Tata companies controlled by Tata Sons, an investment holding company in India.
Here's a closer look at the owner of Jaguar Land Rover, its shareholders, and their respective boards of directors. You can also learn how to invest money indirectly in the company through its owner.
Who is the owner of Jaguar and Land Rover?
Who is the owner of Jaguar and Land Rover?
Tata Motors has owned Jaguar Land Rover since 2008. The Indian automotive group acquired the British luxury automakers from Ford for $2.3 billion, with Ford contributing $600 million to their pension plans upon closing. Ford needed the cash to help fund its turnaround plan. It also wanted to focus on its core brands. Ford took a huge loss on the sale (it acquired Jaguar for $2.5 billion in 1989 and bought Land Rover from BMW for $2.7 billion in 2000). Jaguar never made a profit as part of Ford.
While Jaguar Land Rover Automotive is a subsidiary of Tata Motors, it operates as an independent company with a separate board and reports separate financial results. However, it doesn't have any other owners.
Who are the largest shareholders?
Who are the largest shareholders?
Tata Motors has been the sole shareholder of Jaguar Land Rover Automotive since it bought the British luxury auto brands from Ford in 2008. Jaguar Land Rover Automotive is currently a subsidiary of the Indian automaker.
On the other hand, Tata Motors is a publicly traded company with outside shareholders. Its largest shareholder is Tata Sons, the primary investment holding company of the Tata group of companies. The group held 35.8% of Tata Motors' voting power in early 2024 (and 30.9% of its outstanding shares).
In addition to Tata Sons, the top five other large institutional investors in Tata Motors as of early 2024 were:
- Life Insurance Corporation of India: India's largest life insurance company held 3.1% of its outstanding shares.
- SBI Funds Management: The Indian asset management company held 2.4% of the automaker's stock.
- Axis Asset Management: The Indian mutual fund investor held 1.2% of Tata Motors' stock.
- UTI Asset Management: The Indian mutual fund manager owned 1.2% of the company's stock
- GIC: The Singaporean sovereign wealth fund owned 1.1% of Tata Motor's stock.
Meanwhile, the largest individual shareholder of Tata Motors was the estate of Rakesh Radheyshyam Jhunjhunwala at 1.6%. Often referred to as India's Warren Buffett, he died in 2022.
Tata Motors unveiled plans to demerge its business and form two separate listed companies in March 2024. One company will operate its commercial vehicle business and related investments. The other company will focus on the passenger vehicle businesses, including Jaguar Land Rover and its self-driving vehicle technology. The demerger, which the company expects will take 12 to 15 months to complete, will likely yield changes to its shareholder groups.
Board of directors
Who is on the board of directors for Jaguar and Land Rover?
Jaguar Land Rover Automotive has a distinct board of directors that includes the following:
- Natarajan Chandrasekaran is chairman of the board of Tata Sons, the holding company of more than 100 Tata operating companies. He joined the board in October 2016 and has been the chair since January 2017. He also chairs several other boards, including Tata Motors.
- Ralf Speth is the vice chairman of the board.
- Adrian Mardell is the CEO of Jaguar Land Rover. He has held that position since July 2023. He has spent more than 30 years at the company, including serving as its CFO.
- P.B. Balaji is a non-executive director.
- Charles Nichols is a non-executive director.
- Al-Noor Ramji is a non-executive director. He's an experienced chief information officer, board advisor, and entrepreneur.
- Hanne Sorensen has been a non-executive director of the board since August 2018. She serves on the boards of several companies, including Tata Motors.
Likewise, Tata Motors has a distinct board of directors, although there's some overlap between its board and that of Jaguar Land Rover. The board members are:
- Natarajan Chandrasekaran is the chairman of the board of Tata Sons and several of its holding companies, including Tata Motors.
- O.P. Bhatt has been an independent director of the company since May 2017. He also serves as an independent director on the board of several other companies. He previously served as the CEO of State Bank Group, the largest commercial bank in India.
- Hanne Sorensen has been an independent director of Tata Motors since January 2018. She also serves on the boards of several international companies. She's a seasoned executive who also has served as the CEO of Maersk Tankers, the world's largest product tanker company.
- Vedika Bhandarkar has been an independent director since June 2019. She has more than 25 years of experience as a financial expert and is currently the COO of the non-profit Water.org.
- Kosaraju Veerayya Chowdary has been an independent director since October 2020. He has served in various roles in government agencies in India and is currently serving on the board of several other companies, including Reliance Industries Limited.
- Al-Noor Ramji has been on the board of directors since May 2022. He has more than 30 years of experience driving digital strategy and transformation for several global companies.
- Girish Wagh has been on the board of directors since July 2021. He currently serves as the president and head of the Tata Motors commercial vehicle business unit.
- Usha Sanwan is a non-executive, independent director of the board.
How to invest in Jaguar and Land Rover?
How to invest in Jaguar and Land Rover?
You can't invest directly in Jaguar Land Rover Automotive because it's a private company owned by Tata Motors. However, you can invest in the stock of its owner, Tata Motors, which is a publicly traded company. That's harder to do these days because the company delisted its stock from the New York Stock Exchange and terminated its American Depository Shares program in 2023. You'd need a brokerage account capable of trading shares of companies listed on foreign exchanges. Here's a list of the best brokers for international trading.
People interested in investing indirectly in Jaguar Land Rover through Tata Motors might want to wait until the company completes its planned demerger. It revealed plans to separate its commercial and passenger vehicles businesses into two entities in early 2024. The separate passenger vehicles business will include Jaguar Land Rover and Tata's passenger vehicle and electric vehicle (EV) businesses. The company expects to complete the demerger within 12 to 15 months, with each entity becoming an independent, separately listed public company.
Related investing topics
The lengthy demerger process should give investors plenty of time to learn how to invest in the Indian automaker. Research is a crucial step to undertake before buying shares of any company, especially for one listed on an international exchange. You need to be comfortable with the added risks of investing internationally, including foreign exchange risks and potential oversight and corporate governance differences. Other factors to consider when researching a company are its profitability, balance sheet, and competitors.
Once you've opened and funded an internationally capable brokerage account and thoroughly researched the company, it's time to buy shares. Before you do that, you'll need to determine how much you want to invest in the company. A good rule of thumb is to have a diversified portfolio of at least 25 stocks with roughly equivalent allocations. So, for example, if you plan on investing $10,000 into a diversified portfolio, you'd invest roughly $400 into each stock, including Tata Motors (or its yet-to-be-separated passenger vehicle company).
When you're ready to buy shares, you'll open the order page at your brokerage account and fill out all the required information, including:
- The number of shares you want to buy (or the amount you want to invest in fractional shares if your broker allows that for an international stock).
- The correct stock ticker for Tata Motors or the passenger vehicle business when that entity completes its separate listing.
- The order type (market or limit order). The Motley Fool recommends a market order, so you'll be able to order at the current price.
Take a moment to double-check everything to make sure the information is correct. When you're ready, click submit to become a shareholder of Jaguar Land Rover's owner, Tata Motors (or its publicly listed passenger vehicle business).
FAQ
Who Owns Jaguar and Land Rover FAQs
Who is the owner of Jaguar Land Rover?
Tata Motors Limited owns Jaguar Land Rover Automotive. The Indian automotive company bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford in 2008 for $2.3 billion, with Ford contributing $600 million to their pension plans. It operates as an independent subsidiary of the Indian automaker.
Does Ford still own Jaguar and Land Rover?
Ford no longer owns Jaguar and Land Rover. It sold the British luxury brands to Indian automaker Tata Motors for $2.3 billion in 2008, although it contributed $600 million to their pension plans at closing. Ford needed to sell the brands to help fund its turnaround plan and to sharpen its focus on its core brands.
Who is Jaguar owned by?
Jaguar is part of Jaguar Land Rover Automotive, a holding company owned by Indian automaker Tata Motors. Tata acquired the British luxury automotive brands in 2008 from Ford.
Why did Ford sell Jaguar and Land Rover?
Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors in 2008 to raise cash to fund its turnaround plan. Ford was struggling at the time and needed money to help fund its turnaround plan and focus on its core brands. The British luxury brands were losing money, and Ford decided to cut its losses.
