Tata puts Italian car designs on slow track

Tata Motors may not pick up a majority stake in Italian car design firm Pininfarina. The Tata Motors is now looking at picking up minority stake when Pininfarina opens an India centre. The family owners of Pininfarina recently announced that it is planning to sell a majority stake in the company to pay the debt that totals more than e600 million.

Italian carmaker Fiat bought a bankrupt Bertone earlier this month. Because of untimely death of the CEO Andrea Pininfarina in August 2008, Pininfarina's financial condition has become weak. Pininfarina’s latest model is the recently-unveiled Ferrari 458 Italia. Other models it has designed that are still in production include the Alfa Romeo Brera and Spider.