Ford PAG abandoning California HQ
After setting up its Premium Automotive Group back in the late '90s, Ford built the luxury über-division an award-winning, shiny new facility in Irvine, California in 2001, far away from the parent company's influence in Dearborn, Michigan, as the American hub for the predominantly European group. Since then, however, PAG has been slowly dwindling away, as Lincoln was separated from the group, Aston Martin was recently sold off and Jaguar and Land Rover are on the verge of departure, as well. Once those two brands are gone, only Volvo will remain. Now the last remaining PAG constituent is moving its U.S. operations to Rockleigh, New Jersey.
The shift to the East Coast for Volvo is expected to cut overhead and increase the overlap in working hours with PAG's headquarters in England and Volvo HQ in Sweden, but puts another nail in the coffin of former Ford CEO Jacques Nasser's grand vision of a profit-generating luxury enterprise. Witness one more burned-out star saying goodbye to Hollywood.
[Source: Automotive News – sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Avinash machado 8:01AM (3/17/2008)
The Land Rover-Jaguar sale seems to have been dragging on for quite some time.
Reply
john riley 8:26AM (3/17/2008)
Probably not a good time to be trying to get out of commercial real estate in Irvine.
Reply
volvfan88 9:48AM (3/17/2008)
Well Ford needs to learn how to seperate themselves from the other brands in the corporate umbrella. Lincoln needs there own, mercury, and ford. Volvo is only a company that Ford operates that has its own brand history so be careful in the decisions made in productions. Volvo shifting back to Jersey is nota drastic measure because they were based their up to 2003. Now that Jaguar and Land Rover are gone Volvo could focus on Volvo instead of being a center for safety excellence as ford calls it. Not many people know this but Volvo actually press steel for Jaguar convertibles, they make brake calibers and brake pads for PAG and Ford, they make engines for Ford, safety systems, electrical systems and relays, design platforms, and crash test all FOMOCO including PAG vehicles. I think that its a bit taxing on Volvo to be spreading themselves so thinly helping these other companies, but they'll all be gone in a few weeks. Volvo needs some more luxury products, the XC60 is going to be a hit, love the new front end, the Volvo emblem is manicly beautiful. Now the new S60 renderings I have seen I hope that rear end is a non production idea because that is hideous. I have read on several sites and Volvo blogs that Volvo is actually getting ready to produce a 3 door CUV based on the C30 and corporate sibling the Land Rover LRX. Volvo is also making a small two seater sports convertible so Uddevella plant in Sweden will be producing two cars. Volvo is alos hard at work on the next generation XC90 which from the renderings that were recently seen, I like what i see. There is also the V50 coming back as the new estate for the S60 so we dont lose the V50 entirely with ending the production of the S40. Finally i have heard that Volvo has the XC100 still well on its way the large luxury estate that has the design from the VCC estate in 2003, I love the vertically stacked head lights. Knowning Volvo when this vehicle is produced they will bring a sedan to go with it so keep your fingers crossed for a Volvo S-Class, 7 series, and A8 rival that would be more on the level of the Lexus LS though.
Volvo needs to move engine production back to Sweden once Land Rover and Jag is gone also, I dont Like the inline 6 engine being produced in England, not good for Volvo at all.
Hey has anyone heard if that summer sale of volvo is still gonna happen or what, because that would be even better if Volvo was majority owned by Swedish intrest and minority Ford.
Reply
Dave 10:19AM (3/17/2008)
Oh no! What happens to Cars and Coffee???
http://www.carsandcoffee.info/main.html
Reply
Zamafir 10:49AM (3/17/2008)
ditto that was my initial reaction, screw ford where's my cars n coffee going - though it has been fun watching the Aston badge vanish from the first pillar and we were just joking last week that they'd need to messily pry off the rest as the did with aston's.
FCHAT 10:46AM (3/17/2008)
what about MAZDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply
Avinash machado 10:54AM (3/17/2008)
Mazda is not a premium brand.
frankrizzo 12:01PM (3/17/2008)
I used to work for Mazda North America. I doubt Ford will be able to move a company that they only have 33.9% control of. Mazda place is also in OC. Irvine to be exact. It would be like moving Nissan to TN. A huge and expensive process. But i'd like to see it.
I'd like to see all companies move out of the Republik. That state wields too much control over the rest of the union.
Reply
naggs 12:27PM (3/17/2008)
the two buildings (PAG design and mazda design) are right next to each other. they share a parking lot (with cars and coffe)
Anti-believer 1:53PM (3/17/2008)
Irvine ain't hardly Hollywood. It's not even the same county.
Reply
Brent Ferguson 1:24PM (3/17/2008)
I have a phone call into the organizer of Cars and Coffee from FORD to verify this story. If it is true I will find out the details of what is going to happen to Cars and Coffee.
Brent Ferguson
Site Admin
http://www.carsandcoffee.info
Reply
Brent Ferguson 2:22PM (3/17/2008)
Update on the Status of FORD in Irvine and whats happening with Cars and Coffee:
http://www.carsandcoffee.info/forum/showthread.php?p=2416#post2416
John 2:44PM (3/17/2008)
Goodbye to another auto office in California.
Reply