Jaguar Land Rover needs a tow from China

Investing in electric cars won't pull the luxury automaker out of its pothole

For Jaguar Land Rover, the only way out of its deep pothole may be to get a tow from China.

The luxury unit of Tata Motors Ltd posted dismal fiscal first-quarter results Tuesday, recording an unexpected pretax loss of £264 million  ($346 million) after running into trouble in many of its main markets. JLR, usually the profit engine for Tata, effectively wiped out a sharp turnaround at the rest of the Indian company’s business.

About half the loss was because of China, where lower margins and declining prices weighed on performance. China’s import tariff cut earlier this year