Tata Group long has been one of India's most successful enterprises, a family-owned industrial conglomerate with its fingers in many aspects of a booming Indian economy. That included Tata Motors, which made (mostly) inexpensive little cars, including the "world's cheapest," the Nano.

But when Tata took over Jaguar Land Rover by buying the double-headed bastion of Britishness from Ford for $2.3 billion in June 2008, few western analysts gave the company a chance of succeeding where a huge American auto company had not been able to. Previous forays by powerhouse companies from emerging markets buying western outfits hadn't fared well, including Tata Steel's own acquisition of Corus Steel in 2007.

Doubters sniffed that Tata Chairman Ratan Tata, a car buff, had become too enamored of buying global brands, as Tata acquired Tetley Tea, Daweoo Commercial Vehicles, and the Pierre Hotel in New York. But Tata Motors has confounded those skeptics.Continue reading...

Tata Group long has been regarded as a great way to invest in the burgeoning economy and population of India, because the industrial conglomerate is the dominant business in that fast-growing country. But now, some investors are looking at Tata and its Jaguar Land Rover operation instead as a promising way to participate in the economic boom in China, in the commercial possibilities of Russia, and even in economic resurgence in the United States.

That's because Tata's $2.5 bilion purchase of the tattered Jaguar and Land Rover brands from Ford in 2008 has resulted in a turnaround of those venerable automotive enterprises — and has created rising expectations in the global investment community — as Bloomberg reports — that Tata will opportunize that progress with an IPO, floating an intial sale of shares in a reconstituted Jaguar Land Rover.Continue reading...

Victoria Beckham doesn't just design form-fitting frocks — she also helped Land Rover as a guest creative designer on the Range Rover Evoque, which will officially launch at the Beijing international auto show on April 22nd. Click here to check out the 2010 unveiling of Beckham's special edition, at London's Kensington Palace.

In 2010, Range Rover unveiled the Evoque in a splashy event at Kensington Palace co-hosted by Vogue, whose interested was piqued because Victoria Beckham consulted on the car's design.

Today at the Geneva Motor Show, Range Rover unveiled the next generation Evoque: a topless or convertible concept car, with sustainability as top of mind as the premium luxury features. More details after the jump.Continue reading...

The hot trend these days for reaching digi-savvy consumers: prove your brand's digital savvy by attaching it to a smart (and it had better be smart) interactive/viral/digital marketing promotion.

Innovative new interactive campaigns for Warner Bros. next installment in the Batman movie franchise, The Dark Knight Rises, and Range Rover's new digital push for the Victoria Beckham-styled Evoque, are prime examples of how to do it right.Continue reading...

The all new Range Rover "Evoque" evokes something all right, and it's possible Range Rover enthusiasts will not be pleased.Continue reading...

Land Rover unveiled its "smallest, lightest, greenest" (and cheapest) Range Rover - the 2011 Evoque, designed by Victoria Beckham.

The Spice Girl-turned-fashion-designer attended its unveiling, above, at a posh (pun intended) party at Kensington Palace with Vogue UK yesterday. Given its partners, the new "baby Rover" was unveiled with all the glitz of a red carpet fashion show. The event also celebrated the 40th anniversary of Range Rover, which will roll its millionth vehicle off the assembly line this summer.

Beckham was also named Range Rover's creative director, in a similar partnership to Polaroid's deal with Lady Gaga and Popchips' arrangement with its new part-owner, Ashton Kutcher.Continue reading...

Blockbuster was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange as company scrambles to avoid bankruptcy.

BMW and Mercedes boost U.S. sales with "Ann Taylor shoppers" as BMW unveils electric car model.

The Guardian touts its value as News Corp. implements a paywall around The Times' websites today.

Disney bought Tapulous, a maker of music game apps.Continue reading...