The Detroit News reports that Ford Motor Company is selling off several unsuccessful brands in order to "focus on its core North American nameplates." The automaker sold Aston Martin last may. The Detroit Free Press adds, "The global auto industry will get a major new player, and Ford Motor Co. will lose a major distraction when Indian conglomerate Tata buys Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford in a deal the automakers are likely to consummate in about two weeks." Tata motors currently produces small cars for the Indian market, and has focused most of its efforts on developing the Nano, a small and inexpensive car for developing markets that it hopes will be "India's Model T." Jaguar and Land Rover have "consistently lost money and struggled to compete with luxury-car leaders, such as BMW, Lexus and Mercedes" since Ford purchased them. A Tata spokesman told Reuters that the Indian automaker doesn't plan to alter the two brands. "These are two iconic brands," he said. "The plan would be to retain the image and not to tamper it in any way." AutoWeek notes that the "long-shelved Jaguar F-Type sports car, which debuted at the 2000 North American International Auto Show, appears to have secured the backing of Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata."
Ford Executive Vice President Lewis Booth told the Detroit News, however, that "Volvo is not for sale." Instead, Reuters repots, Ford "is developing a new business plan for Volvo that will include the Swedish luxury brand operating on a more stand-alone basis."
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