Will Ford part ways with British Luxury Brands?

A report in this week's Sunday Times reported that Ford Motor Co. may sell Land Rover and Jaguar as part of a shake-up of its British brands.

I'm not sure how mush truth there is to that story seeing as Land Rover is currently bringing in a huge profit for the ailing parent company. Jaguar on the other hand...

The Times said it was understood that Ford's senior management, led by Chairman and CEO Bill Ford Jr., was considering packaging the two marques together and selling a majority stake to a financial investor.

Apparently banking sources had also said that it was still not certain whether Ford would part company with Jaguar and that there was a chance it would be retained, but with reduced production and a concentration on exclusive luxury sports cars.


The Sunday Times said Bill Ford had told staff in a memo last week that adviser Kenneth Leet would explore strategic options. It added, however, that its sources in Detroit pointed out that Leet's expertise was in mergers and acquisitions, making it more likely Ford would look to sell assets, including Jaguar. Ford said last week that no decisions on disposals had been taken.

Bill Ford has said money-losing Jaguar, which it bought in 1989, would take time to turn around, but he was considering all options for the brand. If Ford did decide to sell Jaguar it may just have to throgh the other British brand in to the mix to sweeten the deal.