Autoblog

Ford has issued a press release confirming that it has sold both Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors for an approximate price of $2.3 billion, which comes under some numbers as high as $2.65 billion that were being tossed around yesterday. The rumor that Ford will contribute to pension funds associated with the brands is also true, as it confirmed that $600 million will be dropped into the retirement coffers of the brands once the deal closes. It is, of course, subject to regulatory approval in a number of countries, but the automaker expects the deal to be done by the end of the following quarter. As part of the deal, Ford will continue to supply powertrains, stampings and other unnamed vehicle components to Tata for "differing periods", as well as R&D research, environmental and platform technologies, and even accounting services, among others. Clearly the ties that bind Jaguar Land Rover to Ford are strong and will take some time to undo. Judging from the press release, it seems all parties involved, including the employees of Jaguar Land Rover, are pleased with how the deal went down, and for the time being both brands will be run business as usual during the transition period.

[Source: Ford]

According to numerous published reports today, Ford is expected to announce within days that India's Tata Motors will be the preferred bidder for the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. Assuming this happens, look for Tata to pay Ford up to $2 billion USD for the pair of iconic British marques. As has already been reported here and elsewhere, the British labor unions have come out in support of the Tata bid, and the Indian company also has Fiat lined up to help show it the ropes when it comes to managing major European brands. Tata has also stated that the three British factories used to produce Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles will be retained. We'll keep tabs on the developments, since it now sounds like some sort of announcement is imminent.

[Source: The Sunday Times]

Ford is working hard to unload Jaguar and Land Rover, and unlike Aston Martin deal, the Oval wants to be completely out. While Ford kept a small stake in Aston just like Daimler did with Chrysler, whoever buys the other two British brands will have to take everything.

Ford's European boss, Lewis Booth, spoke in Frankfurt this week and told reporters that the company wants final bids by the end of September and the deal closed by the end of the year. According to Booth, Ford needs the cash and wants to rid itself of distractions from its core businesses. Evidently, it feels that keeping a stake might be no better than keeping the whole thing, and it would still ultimately be responsible for what happens to the two companies.

[Source: Detroit News]