As part of its restructuring effort in order to return the company to profitability, the Ford Motor Co announced on Wednesday that it will sell its Jaguar Land Rover operations to Tata Motors Ltd, a family-controlled auto company based in India. The total amount to be paid in cash by Tata Motors for Jaguar Land Rover upon closing will be approximately US $2.3 billion, Ford said in its statement. "Jaguar and Land Rover are terrific brands," said Ford CEO/President Alan Mulally. "We are confident that they are leaving our fold with the products, plan and team to continue to thrive under Tata’s stewardship.” Mr Mulally then sought to inform investors that the company has a strategic plan in place to ensure its future profits: “Now, it is time for Ford to concentrate on integrating the Ford brand globally, as we implement our plan to create a strong Ford Motor Company that delivers profitable growth for all." Whatever Ford’s future turns out to be, it’s clear that this was a crucial deal for the company, and the personal connections between the two companies could have been a critical component in facilitating its completion.

Hey Bruce:

You are right.

Tata Motors is just like some unknown Ethiopian manufacturer.

Attitudes like that allow us to be surprised constantly.

I remember Toyota & Honda being considered as manufacturers that could only build toy like cars.

Hemant.
PS
My wife just purchased an Acura MDX for over $50K -- she chose this vehicle over a Caddy, a Lincoln MDX & a Mercedez.

Bruce,
why all this whining dude. Indians have been taking over all sorts of companies now. Arcelor, Corus, Whyte & Mackay, etc. After watching the pitiable sight of Guy Dolle eating his own words you should've known better.

PS
Tata is not a family business anymore. We do not live in the 19th century anymore. It is now mainly a Private Conglomerate.(Pullonji alone owns more shares than all Tatas put together).

I'm not entirely sure how you can compare the engineering talent reasonating out of India which arguably has some of the brightest talent worldwide with Ethiopia, a country with virtually no infrastructure?...If you can come up with a legitimate argument (just one because I really want to give you a chance here) as to how you made this conclusion I'll postpone my condemation of you as one of those people who thinks that he is better than someone else based solely upon his race....there's a word for it but I just can't quite remember it...

FORD always had a better idea....They just weren't telling anybody! LOL!

You said about Ford,

"I hope that Ford will focus on the problems with its main car lines and the fact that they are gas-guzzling, poorly-designed, and prone to technical problems."

Seems to me that's the reason they are dumping these two losers. Forget the past, I think it is a rational decision.

ford is the best car out there! hands down. the 4.6 / 5.4 /6.8 romeo built motors run for a half a million miles...iv owned a repair shop for thirty years...nothing but ford products for me...ford forever

watson your take on fmc products is out of tune with todays reality!!have you driven any of the 08 models, cars or trucks??all these vehicles measure up well against the competition.i drive an 08 lincoln mkz, which replaced my wifes 05 nissan altima 3.5l se model.the mkz is faster & better handling than that overrated japanese model!the car isn't a gas guzzler & i wouldn't trade it for any asian or overpriced euro model out there!!!$ for $ ford today offers a good product for the consumers $$$.!!! MANNY D

WATSON THE NEW FMC PRODUCTS ARE MUCH BETTER THAN YOU ELUDED TO!!TODAY THEY MEASURE UP WELL AGAINST THE ASIAN PRODUCTS, WHICH IMO ARE OVERRARED!!THE TRUCKS ARE THE BEST FOR THE CONSUMERS $$, AND THE CARS HAVE MUCH IMPROVED. YOU, LIKE SO MANY ILL INFORMED GUYS , ARE OUTDATED IN YOUR ASSESSMENT OF FMC PRODUCTS.I DRIVE AN O8 LINCOLN MKZ, WHICH REPLACED MY WIFES 05 ALTIMA 3.5L SE MODEL.THE LINCOLN IS FASTER & BETTER HANDLING, GETS BETTER GAS MILEAGE & THE OVERALL FIT & FINISH IS EXCELLENT!!ON TOP OF THAT THE CAR IS NOT OVERPRICED???SO THERE YOU HAVE IT!! YOU'RE ENTITLED TO YOUR OPINION, BUT,FACT IS YOU'RE ALL WET!!! MANNY D

Ford should have never bought Jaguar & Rover in the first place. They were declining companies with repair records much worse than Ford's. Ford did improve both of them but they are still dogs & sucking up too much Ford capital. Sometimes you have to sell at a loss to cut your losses for long term improvement of your company.

These are all interesting comments so far. I might add that the problem is and always has been with FMC upper management in my opinion. Isn't that basically at the bottom of every company's success or demise? There seems to be no consequences for bad decisions made by them like being FIRED!