Tata Motors sees JLR back in profit this year on cost cuts, recovery in Chinese demand; says no plans to sell British auto arm
FirstpostBritain-based JLR has been at the centre of media speculation in recent months, with reports Tata might look to sell a stake and also that the unit was set to announce a major investment in Britain. Mumbai/Bengaluru: Tata Motors expects its luxury Jaguar Land Rover arm to return to profit this financial year helped by cost cuts and a recovery in Chinese demand, it said on Monday, after the group’s fourth-quarter profit fell less than expected. Finance chief PB Balaji told reporters he expected Chinese sales of its sleek Jaguar saloons and Land Rover sport-utility vehicles to return to growth “a quarter from now.” Brexit-related disruption and a slowdown in sales in China, once Jaguar Land Rover’s fastest-growing market, have hammered Tata’s finances. Tata, India’s biggest automaker by revenue, said tighter control of expenses and a turnaround at JLR helped dull the impact of an economic slowdown at home as it posted its first quarterly profit for the fiscal year that ended on March 31. Last month, Tata’s domestic rival Maruti Suzuki India Ltd booked a 5 percent drop in quarterly net profit and forecast weak growth for the year ending March 2020 due in part to a consumer-led slowdown and tighter liquidity.