The corporate credit rating of automaker Tata Motors has been lowered by Standard & Poor’s (S&P’s), from ‘BB’ to ‘BB-’. S&P’s credit analyst Mehul Sukkawala said, “We've downgraded Tata Motors and placed the rating on credit watch due to the faster-than-expected deterioration in the automobile market conditions.”
Tata's sales in India decreased 30 percent last month from November 2007, a much higher decline than expected. The decline followed a 20 percent October decrease from 2007. Also, Jaguar and Land Rover, the marquee British brands that Tata Motors bought out early this year, have seen shrinking demand in the key markets of the US and Europe. This is likely to have an adverse impact on Tata Motors’ financial profile.