THE TATA XJR?

Consider it a safe assumption that you'll never see an XJR, XK, or XF rebadged as a Tata. Reports are also pushing speculation into safe assumptions that Tata is about to land Jaguar and Land Rover for $2,000,000,000, however.

Time the purchase of Ford Motor Company's remaining British outposts with the debut of a $2,500 People's Car, too. Then again, the Tata Group also owns hotels with rates as high as $2,795 per night in Mumbai, charter planes for Bollywood stars, and high-end jewellery stores, in addition to Tetley Tea, Tata AIG Life, Tata Cummins, and Tata McGraw Hill. Head honcho Ratan Tata says that when a company is bought by the Tata Group, things remain the same, "except now it's owned by someone in India".

If Tata truly is successful in this purchase, we should hear by the end of 2007. Another Indian company, Mahindra & Mahindra, was a bidder for Jaguar, along with One Equity Partners.

For Jaguar bosses, the worst part of the news is the extra 1,000 miles in their commute to company headquarters. India is a lot farther away than Michigan.