Tata to enter uber-lux segment with Daimler revival

It's lonely at the top. If you've got a big budget to buy a big luxury sedan, you're typically looking at a Bentley Arnage or a Rolls-Royce Phantom (Mercedes tried to make a go of it with Maybach, but never really managed to establish itself outside the Persian Gulf and hip-hop videos). Now Jaguar's new owners at Tata want to take on the establishment with a storied name of its own: Daimler.

Not to be confused with the Mercedes parent company, Daimler has the same roots as the British subsidiary of Gottlieb Daimler's operation. Between 1896 and 1960, Daimler made a range of elegant limousines. After being acquired by Jaguar, the brand was relegated to becoming the top trim level of Jaguar XJ saloons. When Tata bought Jaguar, it also acquired the rights to the Daimler name (which the German company shares under license). Tata is now considering reviving the Daimler brand with a new luxury range, but it'll have quite a job on its hands distinguishing itself in name from the Mercedes parent company and in essence from the known quantities of Rolls-Royce and Bentley.