Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Daimler Super 8

While most of the automotive press is reporting on Tata's acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford's Premier Automotive Group, the fine print shows that the Indian automaker got a whole package of classic British marques to go along with them. In addition to Jaguar and Land Rover, Tata also acquired the rights to use the names of Rover, Daimler and Lanchester.

The Rover name previously belonged to BMW, which bought the Rover group 14 years ago. Although Shanghai (SAIC) bought the rights to produce Rover products, BMW refused to license the name to them (leaving SAIC to label its cars Roewe), instead selling it to Ford who secured the name to avoid confusion with Land Rover. The Daimler name, through an age-old licensing agreement with the Mercedes parent company, is used by Jaguar for a line of even more luxurious versions of its XJ sedan range. The Lanchester name is likewise attached to Jaguar, but having produced its first motor car in 1895, has laid dormant since 1956.

Although the three brands are barely in use, they transfer ownership to Tata along with Jaguar and Land Rover. The option will remain Tata's whether or not to utilize the names, but we wouldn't expect the Indian auto giant to lay out the cash to launch additional brands while it shoulders the financial burden of the $2.3 billion acquisition. We wouldn't be surprised, however, to see Tata license any of the names it can to help raise the funds.

[Source: Automotive News Europe – subscription required]

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]

click above image for high-res gallery of 2009 Jaguar XF

As we've previously reported, initial demand for the Jaguar XF is high. The crew from Coventry needs its new luxury sedan to be a hit and would presumably like to sell as many possible when it hits showrooms next March, but the current capacity at its remaining plant in the British Midlands is limited by a number of factors, one of which is the size of its labor force. Luckily, Land Rover operates a plant in the vicinity. Both work forces are represented by the labor union Unite, which agreed to a "mobility of labor" provision in its contracts with both automakers. The provision allows for workers to move between each plant for up to 12 weeks at a time.

Jaguar hasn't yet decided whether or not it will borrow workers from Land Rover for the XF launch. It will likely make the decision only if it's deemed necessary to meet demand, though a representative for Land Rover claims that it's based on a number of factors and demand might not even affect the decision. In our estimation, Jaguar's going to sell the XF like cupcakes and should build as many as it can.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]