A lot of public skepticism and resistance has plagued the potential acquisition of luxury brands Jaguar and Landrover by India-based mega brand Tata. Looks like the deal is no longer a potential but a certain. According to MarketWatch, Ford will announce the sale of both brands to Tata on Wednesday. It will be very interesting to see how the deal is embraced by employees and more importantly, car enthusiasts. The big question being, will the public accept an India-based company as the people behind these once iconic gems of British royalty, and feel the same intrinsic prestige and confidence in quality associated with them. My personal opinion is that it can’t be any worse than the way both brands have lagged under Ford ownership. Tata is a huge brand in India with lots of money behind it and an ownership with kahunas, who would like nothing better to do than to prove the naysayers wrong. I think North America will be its most difficult market. Building the brands back up in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Australia likely makes more sense, than build some momentum and credibility to re-establish the brands in the US and Canada. India in general is making a bigger play on the global market, and nothing changes perception faster than success.