Ford to Review Jaguar
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Bill Ford has hired, with the board's blessing, an analyst who will lead a small team that will begin an assessment and valuation of Ford's assets and brands. Among other things the team will consider whether Ford should sell some underperforming brands or pursue alliances with other global auto makers, as well as what it should do with its Ford Credit financing arm. More than likely mission number one will be an investigation of Jaguar.
Let's be honest here. I love the Jaguar brand but it is sucking the life out of the Premier Automotive Group. Perhaps it is time to cut Jaguar loose and see if it could flourish under the stewardship of another company. Of course the XK is just out and the new S-Type is supposed to be quite a stunner. At some point a more distinctive XJ should arrive as well. Will these models be enough to save Jaguar? I just don't know. Luxury brands like Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes pump out new models at such a frightening pace that boutique brands have a hard time generating a buzz from year to year. Jaguar lost it's voice, especially with the XJ that is arguably an aluminum tour de force hampered by it's conservative body work.
We'll have to wait and see what the findings are, but with increasing pressure on Bill Ford to do big things the cat might just have to be let out of the bag.
California Autos Examiner
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Posted by Michael Sheena at 1:23 AM
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