When we heard that our very own Tata Motors would buy Jaguar and Land Rover, everyone was thrilled. Mr. Ratan Tata himself had a wry grin at the accomplishment. The Nano-maker bid a cool $2.3 billion and the formalities were completed.
Little did we realize that the funds for the buyout were generated the help of fifteen banks, including Calyon, Citibank, JP Morgan, and Standard Chartered. This is the kind of international attention the deal garnered, and a clear indication of the position and respect Tata generated on the world platform. The batch of financiers agreed upon a short-term loan, to be cleared in fifteen months. So for this reason Tata has decided to raise Rs 9,770 crore through fund-raising activities, a major chunk of which will be used to finance the buyout of the British badges. The money would be acquired mainly through ‘A’ class equity shares, class of shares that includes Differential Voting Rights (DVR). This is another first to the Indian business community who have always stayed away from this offering in terms of raising of funds and public listing of companies. Through this Rs 7,200 crore would be made available and the remaining of which would be through convertible preference shares (CCP) and another A class of shares with limited voting rights. There are also plans to introduce securities in overseas markets. This will happen with their plans of being listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Tata Motors have been under a little pressure because of the rising interest and input costs. The problems being faced in the availability of auto finance also add to their woes.
Overall, this landmark deal is far from over in terms of finance considering its magnitude. For the average car fanatic the iconic brands can offer so much technology to the Indian auto industry. It is overwhelming to see the foresight of Tata Motors and the promise that it holds not only in India but on the world stage. It is a clear indication of the seriousness with which the deal is being handled. For some it may be a deal, but for many among us, the shares and finances apart, it’s all about the marques that are Jaguar and Land Rover – they are iconic and it would be a shame to see them fade into oblivion. It is nice to see that Tata Motors relate to that, but business is business.
