Jaguar Land Rover owner Tata beats profit estimate with ease

Tata Motors reported better-than-expected first-quarter income as supply-chain constraints eased, helping to lift sales of luxury cars.

Net income was 32 billion rupees ($391 million) in the three months through June, compared with a loss of 50 billion rupees a year earlier, the Mumbai-based company said in a statement Tuesday.

Analyst estimates on average were for net profit of 24.5 billion rupees.

Luxury unit Jaguar Land Rover posted a quarterly profit before tax of 435 million pounds ($559 million), compared with a loss of 524 million pounds the year before.

JLR’s quarterly revenue surged 56 percent to 6.9 billion pounds, Tata said.

The automaker reported a free cash flow of 451 million pounds.

JLR delivered its “highest production levels in nine quarters and our highest first quarter cashflow on record,” CEO Adrian Mardell said.

JLR had already said its quarterly wholesale volumes climbed 30 percent from a year earlier to 93,253 units, excluding its China joint venture Chery Jaguar Land Rover, reflecting “continuing improvement in chip and other supply constraints.”

Retail sales in China jumped 40 percent, while they were flat in Europe.

JLR’s second-quarter production and cashflow will likely be lower due to the annual summer plant shutdown, while wholesales and profit are expected to be more in line with recent quarters, according to the filing.

Tata said it will cancel its Class A shares and issue ordinary ones in return, subject to regulatory approvals, to simplify and consolidate its capital structure and preserve liquidity for growth.

The plan will lead to a 4.2 percent reduction in the number of outstanding shares, making it “value accretive” for shareholders, the company said.

A 4-billion-pound battery plant in the U.K., to be built by Tata Group, will aid the electrification goals of JLR and Tata Motors, with supplies starting from 2026. The facility is also a boost for the U.K.’s car manufacturing industry, which has struggled with Brexit and the switch to electric vehicles.

JLR aims to invest 15 billion pounds over the next five years in developing EVs and autonomous-driving features. It will begin selling a range of full-electric models from 2024.

Tata Motors, a leader in EVs in India, will invest $2 billion in battery models by 2027.