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...
estreka says:
08:03 AM, 04/29/08
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.
flicmod says:
10:11 AM, 04/29/08
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.
estreka says:
11:22 AM, 04/29/08
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.
ateixeira says:
12:12 PM, 05/ 2/08
Interesting theory, does anyone know for sure?
I would guess "no".