China’s car market is getting less luxurious, and among the firms feeling most uncomfortable is India’s Tata Motors.
Tata’s Jaguar and Land Rover unit wasn’t so long ago the darling of affluent Chinese car buyers. It is now a brand in a tailspin. China sales fell 21% between January and April from the year before.
Some of that is a national car market in retreat, especially the luxury segment. But JLR’s problems are more serious, partly because JLR is bearing the brunt of a governmentcampaign to force luxury car makers to lower prices. Last year, officials began encouraging so-called parallel imports of luxury cars, gray-market vehicles not authorized by the car maker that are sold in China below the official sticker price.
via Tata Motors Faces Shades of Gray in China – India Real Time – WSJ.
CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 