Former GM head Carl-Peter Forster takes driving seat at Tata

THE new group chief executive of India's Tata Motors – owner of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands – has been named as Carl-Peter Forster.

Forster, 55, was previously head of General Motors in Europe, responsible for Opel/Vauxhall, Saab and Chevrolet's operations.

He will replace Ravi Kant, who served as managing director of Tata Motors until 2009 when he stepped down to become vice-chairman.

In January, the head of Jaguar Land Rover, David Smith, resigned and Kant took over as interim chief executive. The company has yet to decide whether to appoint a replacement for Smith.

Tata Motors' India business has been booming, with revenues from the fourth quarter of 2009 up 88.7 per cent to some 1.2 billion.

But Jaguar Land Rover, which Tata bought from Ford, has continued to weigh on the company, despite aggressive cost control measures, including job cuts. Tata said the unit lost 60 million during the quarter which ended on 30 September, even though Tata as a whole swung to profitability.

Vaishali Jajoo, an analyst at Mumbai's Angel Broking, said Forster's appointment would allow Tata Motors to acquire overseas expertise and become a more successful global player.

"Tata Motors is looking globally," she said. "They want to export their products."