Brands
Tata Motors stalls as tariffs and slow sales dent Q1 performance
MUMBAI: From roaring engines to grinding gears Tata Motors hit a speed bump in Q1 FY26, with global headwinds and fresh US tariffs putting the brakes on growth. The automaker’s consolidated revenue slid 2.5 per cent year-on-year to Rs 1.04 lakh crore, while EBITDA screeched down 35.8 per cemnt to Rs 9,700 crore. Pre-tax profit before exceptional items halved to Rs 5,617 crore, as free cash flow reversed into a deep Rs 12,300 crore deficit.
The group’s luxury arm Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) bore the brunt, posting its 11th straight profitable quarter but feeling the crunch of trade duties and a planned Jaguar wind-down. Revenue skidded 9.2 per cent to 6.6 billion euros, EBITDA margin shrank 650 basis points to 9.3 per cent, and EBIT margin dropped to 4.0 per cent. Profit before tax tumbled 49.4 per cent to 351 million euros, hit by tariffs of up to 27.5 per cent on UK and EU exports to the US though a late-quarter UK-US deal promises relief, slashing rates to 10 per cent from June and a subsequent EU-US pact trimming them to 15 per cent.
Back home, the commercial vehicles division held steadier, with revenue down 4.7 per cent to Rs 17,009 crore but EBITDA margins inching up 60 basis points to 12.2 per cent. Passenger vehicles struggled, with an 8.2 per cent revenue dip to Rs 10,877 crore and EBIT margins reversing to -2.8 per cent.
On a standalone basis, Tata Motors posted revenue of Rs 15,682 crore, down from Rs 16,862 crore last year, but revved up profit after tax to Rs 5,350 crore, powered partly by Rs 4,913 crore in dividends from subsidiaries. Net profit margin stood at 34.1 per cent, while operating margin clocked in at 12.28 per cent.
Despite the slowdown, the group ended the quarter with consolidated liquidity of 5 billion euros, including 1.7 billion euros in undrawn credit lines. But with inventories shifting, costs climbing, and global trade still unpredictable, the road ahead could test Tata’s grip on the wheel.
Brands
Godrej clarifies ‘GI’ identifier after logo similarity debate
Says GI is not a logo, will not replace Godrej signature across products.
MUMBAI: In a branding storm where shapes did the talking, Godrej is now spelling things out. Godrej Industries Group (GIG) has issued a clarification on its newly introduced ‘GI’ identifier, addressing questions around its purpose and design following a wave of online criticism. At the centre of the debate were two concerns: whether the new mark replaces the long-standing Godrej logo, and whether its geometric design mirrors other corporate identities.
The company has drawn a clear line. The Godrej signature logo, it said, remains unchanged and continues to be the sole logo across all consumer-facing products and services. The ‘GI’ mark, by contrast, is not a logo but a corporate group identifier intended for use alongside the Godrej signature or company name, and aimed at stakeholders such as investors, media and talent rather than consumers.
The need for such a distinction stems from the 2024 restructuring of the broader Godrej Group into two separate business entities. With both continuing to operate under the same Godrej name and signature, the identifier is positioned as a way to differentiate the Godrej Industries Group at a corporate level.
The rollout, however, triggered a broader conversation on design originality. Critics pointed to similarities between the GI mark’s geometric composition and logos used by companies globally, raising questions about distinctiveness.
Responding to this, GIG said its intellectual property and legal review found that such overlaps are common in minimalist, geometry-led design systems. Basic forms such as circles and rectangles appear across dozens of brand identities worldwide, the company noted.
It added that the identifier emerged from an extensive design process and was chosen for its simplicity, allowing it to sit alongside the Godrej signature without competing visually. While acknowledging that elemental shapes may appear less distinctive in isolation, the group emphasised that the mark is part of a broader identity system that includes a custom typeface, sonic branding and other proprietary elements.
Following legal and ethical assessments, the company said it found no impediment to using the identifier, reiterating that the GI mark is a corporate tool not a consumer-facing symbol.
In short, the logo isn’t changing but the conversation around it certainly has.
