Jaguar to be jettioned by FordMoCo, is LR NEXT

[Adam in NYC USA]

Oh well. After 13 years of ownership , Ford is going to sell off Jaguar. Not that it was a moneymaking brand, but the last SEC disclosure pretty much said that Ford lost much more than previous estimates.

Is Land Rover next? That is the question. I can see Toyota buying Jag and making the first hybrid cat. Hmm.

What say you?

Adam in the Baked Apple cinder

[DevilDisco]

I think Land Rover is safe for now. Ford pretty much recently acquired it and are still working their magic on the brand. I think not too long ago Land Rover reported quite favorable sales averages.
I think a lot of people who never looked at a Rover before because of the price or because of the bad rep that the Disco got are very pleased with the LR3. Its almost the perfect vheicle. It can do every thing a minvan can do without the Soccer Mom Sigma, it can still go Off-road and perform very well. It is very roomy and comfortable and despite its off-road capabilites it drives very much like a car on the freeway. These are all key selling points for the US market. Probably why the Hummer H2 sells so well even though it look like it drives like a boat. Rugged good looks out side but you are spoiled on the inside. All the benifits of a truck without the truck like ride.
The LR3 is the quietest vehicle I have ever been in. Pratically no wind noise, and when its storming it doesn't get tossed in the wind as muh as a car would becasue of the weight. Its a good little rolling fortress.
I think Ford will hold out at least until they bring over the new Diesel V8 and see what kind of impact it will have on the market. The Range Rover will probably get here around 2010, with more power and torque than the petrol V8's we have now and the ability to get at least 30mpg, with a 32 gal tank. You might forget where the gas tank filler is. The LR2 should be a good seller here too. It will probaby be about the size of a Pathfinder and eventually get the TDV6. The small size will be a plus in cities and I can see it doing very well.

[RageRover]

Yeah I heard about that, and my dad says, it might've been a bad choice. He works for Ford in Dearborn, MI.

He says that who ever Ford sells Jaguar to, might not work out for Jaguar in the future. But only statistics later on will show.

[landlimo]

LR is enjoying record sales (the best in its history) at a time when sales of other SUVs are down. Whether or not you like the RR Sport and LR3, they are keeping the brand alive and I think the LR2 will take off in the US like the Freelander never did. If any SUV brand tanks in the near future, it'll be Hummer.

[sodirty]

the range rover sport DID save LR. More range rover sports sold the first year they released it than ALL OTHER LR models combined in any given year.

[RoverChic]

Originally Posted by Adam in NYC USA

Oh well. After 13 years of ownership , Ford is going to sell off Jaguar. Not that it was a moneymaking brand, but the last SEC disclosure pretty much said that Ford lost much more than previous estimates.

Is Land Rover next? That is the question. I can see Toyota buying Jag and making the first hybrid cat. Hmm.

What say you?

I think Land Rover is *OK* for now. Maybe Jaguar should not have made their X Edition look like a Ford Contour. One of my colleagues just purchased an X-TYPE Edition, and I have to be honest it looks ,from the front, like a mix between the Contour and the Taurus.

0.02 Cents.

[Choqiees]

with the blings out there....LR is OK for now....

[Roverhound]

Originally Posted by RoverChic

I think Land Rover is *OK* for now. Maybe Jaguar should not have made their X Edition look like a Ford Contour. One of my colleagues just purchased an X-TYPE Edition, and I have to be honest it looks ,from the front, like a mix between the Contour and the Taurus.

0.02 Cents.

Mel, Jaguar didn't do that, Ford did. And it is built on the Ford Mondeo platform so yeah, it is a Taurus.
I say please Ford, sell LR! We don't need the Land Rover Explorer or the Ford Defender.
Platform sharing saves companies lots of money but it makes for a very limited and boring auto choice.

[RoverChic]

Originally Posted by Roverhound

Mel, Jaguar didn't do that, Ford did. And it is built on the Ford Mondeo platform so yeah, it is a Taurus.
I say please Ford, sell LR! We don't need the Land Rover Explorer or the Ford Defender.
Platform sharing saves companies lots of money but it makes for a very limited and boring auto choice.

I stand corrected. It is still very disturbing. She paid a great deal for a "Taurus". Maybe Ford should sell LR! Eekk! I drive a Rover b/c they are not on every street corner; I feel unique.

[daway]

Ford owns so many euro car companys (volvo, etc), i think it might b good for jags and i wish the same for LR's. but BMW did not do a good job w/ LR's. i love the 50's through early 80's jags (not the engine). i was looking for a 2 door xj6 w/ a chevy engine that alot of people have convert. and they r at a good price.

[landlimo]

Originally Posted by Roverhound

Mel, Jaguar didn't do that, Ford did. And it is built on the Ford Mondeo platform so yeah, it is a Taurus.

Think about what that means for Aston Martin buyers!!

Speaking of which, most likely the next PAG brand to go...

[Roverhound]

Originally Posted by daway

Ford owns so many euro car companys (volvo, etc), i think it might b good for jags and i wish the same for LR's. but BMW did not do a good job w/ LR's. i love the 50's through early 80's jags (not the engine). i was looking for a 2 door xj6 w/ a chevy engine that alot of people have convert. and they r at a good price.

What do you mean BMW did not do a good job?
They re-introduced quality control to LR and turned a faltering company around. When they sold off the Rover group LR was the only division making a profit.
I wish they never sold LR but BMW was consolidating and trying to get a return on the money they lost with Rover (the car group, not LR).

[Rovin4life]

Actually the Mondeo platform is the Contour.

Not the taurus.

They can talk the talk but until they find a buyer then its all speculation.

And Why would ford sell a car manufacturer that actually places second to Lexus in vehicle quality.

For the past three years they have been number Two.


For everyones info the Xtype has the 3.0 duratec engine with VVT. And its allwheel drive.

The only parts it shares with the Mondeo though are the suspension and brakes.

[daway]

Originally Posted by Roverhound

What do you mean BMW did not do a good job?
They re-introduced quality control to LR and turned a faltering company around. When they sold off the Rover group LR was the only division making a profit.
I wish they never sold LR but BMW was consolidating and trying to get a return on the money they lost with Rover (the car group, not LR).

i know the history of LR good! i just have my own thoughts and u have yours. bmw owned LR (rover group) from 94 to 2000 and they induced the freelander, RR2 and disco2. i think the germans r get enginers and quality control.

1948: Land Rover is designed by the Wilks Brothers and is manufactured by the Rover Company

1967: Rover becomes part of Leyland Motors Ltd, later British Leyland

1970: Introduction of the Range Rover

1975: BL collapses and is nationalised, publication of the Ryder Report recommends that Land Rover be split from Rover and be treated as a separate company within BL

1980: Rover car production ends at Solihull, which is now exclusively for Land Rover manufacture. 5-door Range Rover introduced.

1986: BL, now known as the Rover Group, is privatised and becomes part of British Aerospace

1987: Range Rover is introduced to the U.S market

1989: Introduction of the Discovery (Disco I to enthusiasts)

1994: Rover Group is taken over by BMW. Introduction of second-generation Range Rover.

1998: Introduction of the Freelander

1999: Introduction of the second generation of Discovery (Disco II)

2000: BMW breaks up the Rover Group and sells Land Rover to Ford.

2002: Introduction of third-generation Range Rover

2005: Introduction of the third-generation Discovery/LR3

2005: Introduction of Range Rover Sport

2005: Adoption of the Jaguar AJ-V8 engine to replace the BMW M62 V8 in the Range Rover

[Rovin4life]

This is the real story of quality in Land Rover.

You see when BMW took over they wanted everyone down to a manager to learn German so they could participate in Phone conferences. Secondly since many of the guys that were resistant to change saw this as a means to leave the company. They were in a sense dead weight. They left. The guys that cared about the company remained and were better off for it. The new land Rover is a symbol of what shedding dead weight and giving a company over to guys who care about a company instead of guys working for a paycheck.

By leaving its been said alot of bad contracts that LR had were no longer in force because the company could look at reliable suppliers instead of friends of management getting all the parts contracts.

Lets be honest, LR had bad parts for years because they used the same contractors. Why do you think that is. Do you honestly think it was for the money? No it was most likely for those in management giving all the contracts to their friends regardless of cost and quality.

BMW changed nothing. Their corporate strategy changed nothing at all. It was the simple shedding of dead weight and the commitment to making a better product that saved Land Rover.

Ford believed in what the LR was doing and chose not to meddle. Look where it got them. A healthy profit for their investment.