Mr. Tata has admitted that he may have gone 'too far, too fast'

That the Tata Group is struggling to keep two of its most high profile members, Jaguar-Land Rover (JLR) and Corus, afloat has been very well documented by the media. But what has perhaps made its first public appearance is a statement by the Group Chairman, Ratan Tata that the period during which these companies came into the Tata fold may not have been very opportune after all. In an interview published in a leading British daily, Times Online, Mr. Tata has admitted that he may have gone 'too far, too fast'
It is worth remembering that the Corus transaction undertaken by one of his group companies, Tata Steel was one of the most expensive steel deals ever. Even with JLR, had the group waited out, they could have gotten the company even cheaper considering the turmoil the global auto industry is in currently. "If one had known there was going to be a meltdown, then yes (Tata went too far), but nobody knew. Both the acquisitions were made, I would say, at an inopportune time in the sense that they were near the top of the market in terms of price," is how the affable Tata chose to put it across. Perhaps having a more realistic look at valuations could have helped. As Warren Buffett says, "Predicting rain doesn't count, building the ark does"