Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Jaguar, Land Rover, UAW/Unions, UK
Tata hearts Land Rover... Jag, not so much
While a lot of the media's attention towards the impending sale of Jaguar and Land Rover has been focused on the former and not the latter, it came as a surprise to hear that Tata might unload Jag soon after the deal goes down.
According to sources speaking with InsideLine, Tata purchased a 450-acre swath of land in Gurgaon, outside of New Delhi, for the explicit purpose of building Land Rovers. That's going to be a tough pill to swallow for LR's labor unions, which supported the sale of the both companies last year after Tata became the top bidder.
The source went on to say that "... Jaguar will be spun off almost immediately." To whom remains a question, but one of the other automaker's vying for a piece of the British
[Source: InsideLine]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
J.Crew 3:34PM (2/19/2008)
This is the similar future Chrysler will face with Cerberus.
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Richard 3:39PM (2/19/2008)
Hopefully, though, Jag will be purchased by someone who wants to build proper motor cars.
Who else was in the running?
It would be a shame if - with the boost from the XF launch - the kitty got killed!
Mr. Oak 4:20PM (2/19/2008)
Richard, the XF is a short term gain, this company is in really serious trouble.
The ancient XJ is not exactly flying off showroom floors,
The bloated hoover-craft called XK, to be competitive, needs to be two-thirds it's current scale and much more athletic.
The original S-Type was a wonderful statement car, seen what did to it lately?
The Mondeo in drag, should have replaced with a proper Jaguar sometime ago.
.....ahh The brand spanking new XF. Will sell a ton this year, with steadily decreasing numbers in subsequent years. Especially if it doesn't age gracefully.
The problem with Jaguar is that their cars are aimed at the snooty middle and upper class Brits, of which there are not enough to keep them in business. Also, said people now have choices, Audi, BMW, Porsche, Cadillac, Saab, Volvo etc.
SPG 3:39PM (2/19/2008)
Who would make a good parent company to Jaguar?
Sadly they can't survive on their own as they'd become even less competitive then they are now.
So who would make a good parent company? BMW came to mind actually.
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Andrew Tanasescu 3:51PM (2/19/2008)
For some reason I don't see that happening...
I see BMW of more of threat for Jaguar then a parent.
Mr. Oak 4:51PM (2/19/2008)
The Jaguar workers. Maybe then they'll building cars as if their lives depended on it. Without a total rethinking of their entire product line, their is no point to them staying in existence.
Successful car companied should not continue playing this game of "Hot-Potato" with this company.
Their Sports car (XK) should be sporty, you think?
Their Luxury car (XJ) should be gunning for the Bentleys and RRs etc. only more athletic.
Their mid-line car XF or S-Type should become a true Sports Sedan. Hell, if Cadillac can do it....
Their entry level car should appeal to younger demographic. Imagine Jaguar style with EVO\WRX attitude? Instead they now sell to blue and silver haired empty nesters.
Zane 3:55PM (2/19/2008)
Who would make a good parent company to Jaguar?
Cerebrus, fo' sure! :D
In all seriousness, I think Tata might milk Jag until the XF hype (assuming there is any) dies down.
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AlexP 4:03PM (2/19/2008)
With sales that are starting to pick up, I don't understand why Ford would still want to get rid of Jaguar.
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Mr. Oak 4:25PM (2/19/2008)
Alex: It's simple. Ford laid out quite a bit of coin to buy Jaguar, and some more coin to build their plants up to modern standards. Ford has not seen a nickle's worth of return on their investment. Instead, ther continually hemmorage cash. Time to cut your losses.
Tagg 4:06PM (2/19/2008)
Maybe the group that purchased Aston Martin would be interested in purschasing Jaguar or one of the private equity groups that wanted to buy them before. I could also see a Chinese company come knocking like SAIC; but they may be waiting for Chrysler which would make more sense because it would give the Chinese a large dealer network and a brand indentity.
Another guess is that Jag could be destined for death with no one ready to take on a luxury automaker with the auto climate the way it stands today.
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Alex 4:08PM (2/19/2008)
The best scenario for Jaguar would be to be purchased by its management team + maybe some external capital.
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Gregg 4:54PM (2/19/2008)
The XF may indeed be a short term gain, but one they need. The XJ is not ancient. It has about the best aluminum structure on the market, lighter and better than the A8. The problem was the too conservative, unimaginative styling for the new version. The plan is to fix that by 2010 (better late than never). The XK is a great ride, regardless of what you say, and for an XK, it has sold well. They ahve never been Jaguar's big seller. The proposed F sports car will be the car you are talking about. Jaguar doesn't need the Mondeo in drag replaced. It's dead. Bury it, and get some sort of CUV vehicle on the market which will actually sell. No one needs a Volvo C40 or C60 or Audi A4 or BMW 3, etc., etc, etc. from Jaguar. The near luxury small sedan field is already too crowded.
N 4:33PM (2/19/2008)
The best thing for Jaguar would be a quick death... rather than us having to bear witness to yet many more years of procrastinated death throws.
Kill the old cat now, it has already used up its 9 lives.
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Throwback 4:44PM (2/19/2008)
So, I guess Ford knows what they are doing by selling. Even Tata does not want that money loser. Hey Carlos, want a car company?
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Oliver 5:04PM (2/19/2008)
Remember, one reason Tata is purchasing the companies is for their technology. Once they get it; they will be dumped.
Unfortunate. So is my wife's face.
Oliver
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Whitie 5:07PM (2/19/2008)
I'm trying to remember the circumstances that led to Ford purchasing Jaguar. Wasn't there an accouncement 15-18 years ago that GM was ever so close to buying Jag?? I recall a price of $1B being mentioned. Ford quickly entered the discussion and ended up paying closer to 2.5B. It was a plumb at the time.
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DP 5:48PM (2/19/2008)
How about Hyundai picking up Jaguar?
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Alex 12:32PM (2/20/2008)
that was my thought exactly, or maybe Nissan.
Hyundai has expressed interest in the past with the luxury marque.
Nissan, and through extension Renault, could definitely benefit from a lot of the technology and platforms that currently underpin the big cats.
I would be happy either way because both will take the job of resurecting Jaguar seriously.
retsel 6:20PM (2/19/2008)
if i had a spare 3 billion dollars... i would buy jag in a second...
800, 000, 000 for the campany... and rest for 3 years worth of company cost etc...
the halo cars
the super sedan on par with a Bentley... or a rolls
a small sports car like a cayman
the bread and butter
the XF: make it more like the concept
Xtype: distance it from the ford legacy and make a supercharged version... and have it keep the all wheel drive as standard..
Headlining
the next XJ: have you seen the concept...
So wrong it right:
Jag need something to make people talk... make a crossover on the scale of the Buick Enclave... but with a diesel hybrid engine standard...
Jag has so much potential... i wish i could buy it and fix it.. then die...
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chuck goolsbee 8:13PM (2/19/2008)
Sir Anthony Bamford wanted to buy Jaguar, independent of Land Rover, and Ford would not do it. Let's hope that Tata makes that happen. Sir Anthony is the head of JCB (a tractor maker) better known to those here on Autoblog as the land speed record holder for a Diesel powered vehicle, set at Bonneville Salt Flats not too long ago. His father knew Sir William Lyons, Jaguar's founder. Sir Anthony also owns some historically significant Jaguars (C-type, D-type, etc) and desires to make a similar contribution to the history of the marque.
All the "what if" scenarios concerning world-beating sports cars may come true should Bamford acquire Jaguar.
--chuck
http://chuck.goolsbee.org
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