Automotive News : Jaguar Bidders Come out of the Woodwork

Ford's ongoing auction of its Jaguar and Land Rover subsidiaries appears to be attracting widespread interest, including potential bids from some intriguing quarters. European reports said Russian oligarch and would-be auto magnate Oleg Deripaska plans to submit a bid for the two British brands — and might also be interested in acquiring Volvo, which Ford has not yet formally put on the block.

Deripaska controls Russian automaker GAZ, which builds the Volga sedan, and is a shareholder in Canadian parts supplier Magna, which last month saw its bid to acquire Chrysler trumped by private-equity firm Cerberus. In India, the Hindustan Times reported that local automaker Tata may begin due diligence next week on acquiring Ford's British brands. Tata builds heavy trucks as well as a family of low-priced compact cars.

Another Indian automaker, Mahindra & Mahindra, which for long has had ties to Ford, also has expressed an interest in acquiring Jaguar and Land Rover.

Jaguar Tops 2007 J.D. Power Customer Service Index Study

Jaguar ranked the highest in the 2007 J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Index, a widely respected industry gauge of how happy dealerships are keeping customers after the sale. Following Jaguar in the rankings are Buick, which earned 2nd place, and Cadillac and Lexus in a tie for 3rd. Volkswagen, Suzuki and Isuzu took the last three places, respectively.

The domestic brands performed well in the study, with nine slotting in above the industry average. Those brands included Chevrolet, Hummer, GMC, Pontiac, Lincoln, Saturn and Mercury. Toyota ranked below the industry average, as did Chrysler and Ford. The study is based on responses from 84,495 owners and lessees of 2004-'06 model-year vehicles gathered between January and April of this year.

Initial Bids Due for Jaguar/Land Rover Sale

The Ford Motor Company reportedly has set July 19 as the deadline for prospective bidders to submit initial proposals to acquire the automaker's Jaguar and Land Rover brands.

According to the Financial Times, bids are expected to come primarily from private-equity firms rather than other automakers.

Both brands are part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group and are based in the U.K. Land Rover is said to be increasingly profitable, while Jaguar continues to lose hundreds of millions of dollars.

The two brands share management and product development resources, as well as a number of components, including powertrains.

The newspaper said prospective bidders include Cerberus Capital Management, which is in the process of acquiring the Chrysler Group from DaimlerChrysler; Ripplewood Holdings, which is run by former executives of General Motors and Chrysler; and One Equity Partners, with former Ford CEO Jac Nasser on its management roster.

It was Nasser who masterminded the creation of the Premier Automotive Group, which now is in the process of being dismantled by current Ford CEO Alan Mulally as part of his focus on reviving the Blue Oval in North America.

Jaguar Does Double Duty for British Symbolism This Week

Jaguars made news in Great Britain in two symbolic ways this week. First, Prince Charles issued an emissions report on his royal household accounts that included the proud disclosure that his personal Jaguar and Land Rover run on 100 percent biodiesel made of used cooking oil. Then the transfer of power from outgoing Prime Minister Tony Blair to his successor, Gordon Brown, was symbolized by Brown's arrival at the official residence in a Vauxhall Omega and departure in a bulletproof Jaguar.

The cooking-oil-fueled Jaguar may be a tiny change for someone who made three overseas trips last year and carried out 632 official engagements. Nevertheless, the prince's household reduced its carbon emissions by 9 percent last year, according to the official financial statement released this past week. Among other changes, the 130 private and official employees of the sovereign-in-waiting are being encouraged to ride bicycles on short trips around London, the Times reported.

Meanwhile, at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, the outgoing prime minister, Tony Blair, left his ceremonial armored Jaguar behind after he officially turned over the reins in an audience with Queen Elizabeth II. His successor, Gordon Brown, arrived in a red Vauxhall Omega and left as prime minister about an hour later and — "as a sign that it's official," said the Daily Telegraph — climbed into the official Jaguar to head to No. 10 Downing Street.