Ford Motor Considering Sale of Floundering Jaguar

[MyerShift]

CNN Online

Cash bleeding Jaguar maybe in the sites of Ford Motor's Way Forward restructuring plan.

While I was in Hillsdale getting my Plymouth serviced today, on a news channel that was discussing Ford's potential sale of the Jaguar unit.

Among listed potential shoppers of the brand were Hyundai, the Chinese, a private investment group, and others.

Hyundai?!

Edited August 3, 2006 by MyerShift

[Northstar]

Jaguar is in such a mess I don't see why anyone would want it other than for the name. Really they only have two competitive cars, the XJ and XK, and I don't consider either to be best-in-class.

[bobo]

Surely there's some Chinese company that would want to pick them up, now that another Chinese company lays claim to MG.

[VenSeattle]

UGH! After sacrificing Lincoln for Jaguar, Jaguar may get scrapped first?

I don't know how Ford plans to do this after merging all the Jag dealers with Land Rover... Unless Land Rover could be sold along with it?

If Ford really feels this way, then share Jaguar's Aluminum platform with Lincoln to help cut costs at Jag/PAG. That platform would produce an awesome and thoroughly modern Towncar flagship for Lincoln.

The Town Car would compete directly against Mercedes S-class (while being less expensive than the S-Class & XJ8) and let Lincoln beat Cadillac to market with a ULS-type sedan.

It would put Lincoln back into the luxury market with an entirely fresh line-up and (for the first time in years) a unified & consistent design language.

Jag & Lincoln could once again join efforts to build a set of midsize sedans as well.

[FAPTurbo]

Surely there's some Chinese company that would want to pick them up, now that another Chinese company lays claim to MG.

175251[/snapback]

That's what I figured. And they can build them in Arizona or Utah or wherever.

Generally speaking, if something pisses off the British, I'm all for it.

[ehaase]

If Ford really feels this way, then share Jaguar's Aluminum platform with Lincoln to help cut costs at Jag/PAG. That platform would produce an awesome and thoroughly modern Towncar flagship for Lincoln.

175294[/snapback]

Would you accept a Lincoln built in England or a Jaguar built in North America. To gain efficiencies, the cars would have to be built on the same assembly line.

[Flybrian]

Would you accept a Lincoln built in England or a Jaguar built in North America.  To gain efficiencies, the cars would have to be built on the same assembly line.

175342[/snapback]

People seems to accept the M-Class, X5, X3, and Z3/4 just fine. Europeans seem to as well.

I'd rather see a relevant Town Car assembled in Tanzania or on the moon rather than the tepid one dying off in Wixom.

[evok]

UGH! After sacrificing Lincoln for Jaguar, Jaguar may get scrapped first? 

I don't know how Ford plans to do this after merging all the Jag dealers with Land Rover... Unless Land Rover could be sold along with it? 

If Ford really feels this way, then share Jaguar's Aluminum platform with Lincoln to help cut costs at Jag/PAG. That platform would produce an awesome and thoroughly modern Towncar flagship for Lincoln.

The Town Car would compete directly against Mercedes S-class (while being less expensive than the S-Class & XJ8) and let Lincoln beat Cadillac to market with a ULS-type sedan.

It would put Lincoln back into the luxury market with an entirely fresh line-up and (for the first time in years) a unified & consistent design language.

Jag & Lincoln could once again join efforts to build a set of midsize sedans as well.

175294[/snapback]

I would submit that to the Onion.

[evok]

People seems to accept the M-Class, X5, X3, and Z3/4 just fine. Europeans seem to as well.

I'd rather see a relevant Town Car assembled in Tanzania or on the moon rather than the tepid one dying off in Wixom.

175358[/snapback]

Ford's got bigger problems than the Town Car. How about building anything that is relevant to the average public!

[balthazar]

"anything", huh?

[evok]

"anything", huh?

175378[/snapback]

Your not good at this game - so I would not try.

[91z4me]

"anything", huh?

175378[/snapback]

Anything other than Mustang or fullsize trucks, that is all they seem to care about.

BTW I think Jag if sold will go to Hyundai. We know they are prepping to launch V8 RWD luxury cars in the US. They already make and sell them overseas. To adapt these cars with Jaguar styling wouldn't be that hard and the brand could likely be brought back to profitability rather quickly.

[sciguy_0504]

I think a smart investment bank/group of investors who can deal with short term losses can turn around Jaguar and gain money down the road, definately under 10 years, IMO.

[CreativeVision]

Autoweek already had a blurp about this in one of the most recent issues. They noted Hyundai was considering spawning off an upper line of cars (ie. Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infiniti, etc...). Another option was to purchase Jaguar to give them a simialr marketplace spot. Since we know they are building a larger than Azera RWD V8, and the Azera itself is now over the $30,000 mark for the first time in company history, this doesn't seem inconceivable. I haven't been following Jaguar in great detail, but Ford really didn't do much in my opinion to keep it alive. If they are doing as bad as it sounds like folks here are suggesting, Hyundai might be able to get them relatively cheap. However, the thought of a korean company trying to maintain a British heritage is almost as laughable as a Chinese company trying to do it(Cough: MG :Cough)

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

"anything", huh?

175378[/snapback]

LOL....

Yep, he's at it again...

By general public, he must mean the 'NON V8 CAMRY/ACCORD YUPPIES'

And, of course, the MKZ and it's sales success were apparently overlooked.

Of course, we all know what evok thginks of those 'extra divisions'

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Anything other than Mustang or fullsize trucks, that is all they seem to care about.

BTW I think Jag if sold will go to Hyundai.  We know they are prepping to launch V8 RWD luxury cars in the US.  They already make and sell them overseas.  To adapt these cars with Jaguar styling wouldn't be that hard and the brand could likely be brought back to profitability rather quickly.

175385[/snapback]

Ummm... What about the Fusion, Milan, 500, Freestyle, Edge and MKX.

I think Ford will do 'okay' they're just not as far along in their turnaround as GM is.

Then again, the media pretty much pushed them into bankruptcy a few years ago anyway, so it's probably a little more difficult than most would expect.

Oh, and BTW, bar the doors if Hyundai buys Jaguar. All we'll see in the media is HOW EXCELLENT the new Jaguars are!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. The new XK is one helluva car!

[91z4me]

Ummm... What about the Fusion, Milan, 500, Freestyle, Edge and MKX.

Doing well but the 500 and Fusion aren't matching the former Taurus' volume.

Freestyle I think is being canned. Edge I really like, but then again I like the styling on the Mazda CX7 better. The MKX is the Edge rebadge right? If I have to as that, as an auto enthusiest and a domestic one at that, it shows how great a job Lincoln is at marketing it.

I think Ford will do 'okay' they're just not as far along in their turnaround as GM is.

I think they don't know what they want to do and are in a holding pattern and they don't seem to have a direct plan to bring themselves back to profitability quickly.

P.S. The new XK is one helluva car!

175681[/snapback]

Hell YES! Edited August 4, 2006 by 91z4me

[evok]

Having an intelligent discussion with FOG is like trying to teach a Gold fish to do tricks. It just is not going to happen.

Ford lost a million US sales in the last 6 years.

1,000,000

That was 1/4, 25% of their US volume.

Ummm... What about the Fusion, Milan, 500, Freestyle, Edge and MKX.

And, of course, the MKZ and it's sales success were apparently overlooked.

Let me repeat - 1,000,000 sales in the US.

And might I add:

MKZ? As of last month's tally FMC sold exactly zero, nilch, nada MKZs for the year.

[toesuf94]

add to the fact that their bread and butter F-150 (and alllight trucks at Ford) are off sales by over 40% over a year ago - and you have a rather gloomy picture of what is going on at Ford. Trimming off Jag which is not selling well against BMW/Lexus/Mercedes and you have the first decent idea to come out of Dearborn this year.

Sad really, as they will not re-coup the costs of the new XK if they sell.

The new Lincoln offerings are nothing more than tarted up rebadges of Fords, and the public has taken notice. That is why the sales are down across the board at Ford. The product is not striking the right chords with the public. Period.

[razoredge]

Your not good at this game - so I would not try.

175382[/snapback]

This isnt supposed to be a game, when are you going to stop your bull$h! ? If you got something to say, say it. Instead you just pop out with little one liners which mostly seem to prove you have nothing to say. I realize you are on the site while you are supposed to be working so perhaps you dont have time to elaborate.............but if that is the case why do you spend so much time insulting people ? Everyone is apparently supposed to hold you in awe...........well I guess everyone needs a hero

[razoredge]

On SUBJECT !

Jag was never much more than a tiny nitch company, most of which collapsed in the 70's when the "need nothing more than a bowl of rice" labor force began building cars in volumn for the recent gas conscience American market. There was never a level playing field after that.

Then there was all the problems with the tempermental characteristics of the cars. Then the bad reputation was built. The the price of parts and service was through the roof. Then Ford bought them and made Jags glorified Contours and Taurus's hardly what we had always thought of Jaguar as being. The XK8 came out in 96.........then what ?

These types of car companies have always been hard to keep afloat. The US market was always vital in doing so. Now produce a car that looks like a Taurus and try to pawn it off on what was a typical potential Jaguar customer and you have a recipe for disaster.

Remember Aston Martin just had its first profitable year in its history. This could change really fast with a company that sells only a few models in the high tax bracket.

I hate to see this happen, be it Oldsmobile, Jaguar, Packard, British Leyland or Bugatti. If your gonna sit back and let the East take over the world expect no different.

[El Scorcho]

Let me repeat - 1,000,000 sales in the US.

And might I add:

MKZ?  As of last month's tally FMC sold exactly zero, nilch, nada MKZs for the year.

175862[/snapback]

Yeah, here's the thing about that, FOG: The MKZ isn't going on sale until next year. The Zephyr, however, sold 3,027 in July, 2006.