Ford plans to park Jaguar, Land Rover with Tata Motors

0 Comments | USA TODAY, March, 2008 | by Sharon Silke Carty

DETROIT -- In what could be one of the most significant shifts of clout in the auto industry, Ford Motor will hand over the keys to its high-class Jaguar and Land Rover brands to a relatively unknown Indian conglomerate that wants to be a high-end player.

The sale is expected to be announced today, according to a source briefed on the negotiations who did not want to be named because the deal had not yet been made public. Tata is to pay about $2 billion for the two brands, which cost Ford $5.3 billion, and continue building the British vehicles in the U.K.

Though not surprising -- the transaction's been the buzz since July -- it remains stunning to think of Ford selling its premium British brands to Tata Motors, a specialist in inexpensive, small cars. The...