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Ford is understood to have attracted several expressions of interest in its Land Rover and Jaguar brands, with private equity companies to the fore.
The US company is reviewing all the options for the two brands, part of its Premier Automotive Group, including a possible sale and has been seeking to ascertain the level of interest ahead of the announcement of second quarter figures which are due next week.
Ford is refusing to comment but is understood to have set last week as an informal date by which it hoped any potential buyers would have signalled their interest.
The approaches are seen as the start of an ongoing process which is expected to last for some time.
Among those thought to have expressed interest are the private equity groups Cerberus – which is acquiring Chrysler from Daimler – One Equity, and Ripplewood Holdings.
Trades unions have expressed concern at the prospect of a sale to a private equity buyer.
Potential trade buyers are thought to have been more cautious, with most car-makers either already having a presence in the luxury car and sports utility vehicle markets or having decided the business was not for them.
India’s Tata Motors, part of the group which acquired Anglo-Dutch steel-maker Corus for £6.7 billion this year, is thought to be looking at the two British car brands.
It also plans to build the world’s cheapest small car (see below).
Ford has already sold one part of PAG, Aston Martin, and is also considering the future of Sweden’s Volvo, though the process is separate from the review of the future of Jaguar and Land Rover.
Land Rover is seen as the more valuable of the two marques, leading to speculation that Ford might be prepared to sell them separately.
Industry sources have played down the prospect because of the close production links between the two brands, with models of both marques being produced at the Halewood plant on Merseyside.
Earlier this year the C-XF concept car signalled the onset of a new era for Jaguar.
A stunning, four-door sports saloon which blends design purity with unmistakable dynamism, the C-XF was a clear indication of the design direction that the next generations of Jaguar saloons may take.
Designed by the same teams that produced the award-winning Jaguar XK sports GT range in 2005 – headed by Jaguar director of design Ian Callum and head of advanced design Julian Thomson – the C-XF concept was a precursor to cars that will become recognised for their ground-breaking exterior looks and innovative interiors.
As a striking interpretation of the design values that are the bedrock of every great Jaguar, the C-XF is wholly contemporary yet succeeds in paying homage to its renowned predecessors.
“The C-XF – and the future generations of sports saloons it signals – reaffirms the direction Jaguar is taking,” a Jaguar Cars spokesman said.
“We promised that new Jaguars would be beautiful, fast, glamorous and evocative. The new XK delivered on that promise and the C-XF proves that these same values and more are coming in Jaguar saloon cars.”
Last week Ford’s arch-rival, General Motors, said sales in the second quarter of the year had totalled 2.4 million vehicles, just ahead of the same period last time.
GM saw sales in the emerging market soar while in western Europe a strong performance by Vauxhall in the UK compensated for lower sales in Germany.
In the US market, GM saw sales fall seven per cent to 1.2 million vehicles. The auto-maker blamed higher fuel prices and worries about the US housing market for curbing sales.
Overall sales of GM vehicles totalled 4.67 million in the first half of the year, with the company predicting it was now on track for its second best annual sales performance in its almost 100-year history.
By Mark Milner
