Stumble It!
Jaguar and Land Rover tipped to go private
26/06/07 16:18 Filed in: Motoring
Jaguar and Land Rover will almost
certainly be bought by private equity investors as there is no
interest from any other car companies around the world, according
to a leading city analyst.
Max Warburton, head of automotive research at UBS Investment Bank, said that another part of Ford’s Premier Automotive Group, Volvo, will also be sold although there was a lot more interest in the industry in buying the Swedish company.
Is the future is private for Jaguar and Land Rover? The companies are now tightly integrated.
Warburton said: “Ford has been in touch with the major investment banks to put PAG up for sale and that includes Volvo. We see no interest from the industry in the British companies but Volvo will be a prize asset.”
Indeed, there have been persistent rumours that BMW has its eye on Volvo.
Volvo - in BMW's sights? Speaking at the Automotive News Congress in Prague, he added: “That being the case then private equity is the only answer for Jaguar and Land Rover. Given the recent interest from the private equity sector in Chrysler following the break up of DaimlerChrysler I am sure that a deal for these two brands can’t be far away.” Also confident for the future was former Jaguar chairman Jonathan Browning, now chairman of Vauxhall and General Motors Europe sales and marketing chief. He added: “While it’s not for me to comment on the future of Jaguar, I wish all my former colleagues well – Jaguar is still a fascinating brand with a rich heritage. I hope it all sorts out fairly quickly.”
Max Warburton, head of automotive research at UBS Investment Bank, said that another part of Ford’s Premier Automotive Group, Volvo, will also be sold although there was a lot more interest in the industry in buying the Swedish company.
Is the future is private for Jaguar and Land Rover? The companies are now tightly integrated.
Warburton said: “Ford has been in touch with the major investment banks to put PAG up for sale and that includes Volvo. We see no interest from the industry in the British companies but Volvo will be a prize asset.”
Indeed, there have been persistent rumours that BMW has its eye on Volvo.
Volvo - in BMW's sights? Speaking at the Automotive News Congress in Prague, he added: “That being the case then private equity is the only answer for Jaguar and Land Rover. Given the recent interest from the private equity sector in Chrysler following the break up of DaimlerChrysler I am sure that a deal for these two brands can’t be far away.” Also confident for the future was former Jaguar chairman Jonathan Browning, now chairman of Vauxhall and General Motors Europe sales and marketing chief. He added: “While it’s not for me to comment on the future of Jaguar, I wish all my former colleagues well – Jaguar is still a fascinating brand with a rich heritage. I hope it all sorts out fairly quickly.”
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