According to a report in L'Expansion, a leading French business magazine, Renault is looking at the possibility of buying Jaguar. The French company has never seen satisfactory sales for its top-of-the-range models, and new boss Carlos Ghosn is said to be keen to reverse that trend, knowing that luxury cars are more profitable than the small models that are Renault's specialty.
The report says Renault has been rebuffed by Volvo but Jaguar is seen as a possible target. Both Volvo and Jaguar are owned by Ford, and while it is reasonable that Volvo, the most profitable of the Premier Automotive Group brands, would not be available, Jaguar has contributed little but red ink to the Ford balance sheet since it was bought in 1989. In view of Ford's current business situation, shifting the British manufacturer for a cash injection could be more acceptable.
The interest in the luxury sector is caused by a need to bolster Renault's profits. In the first ten months of this year, Renault has seen its share of the European market slip from 11.3 percent to less than ten percent, with sales of its best-seller, the Megane, dropping by eight percent and its large family sedan, the Laguna, losing 20 percent despite a recent facelift.
Source: TCC
I think they (Ford) should jump on this. They didn't want to sell Volvo over to Renault, but that's because volvo's now profitible. Jaguar on the other hand has little hope and everyone knows Ford could usually a little extra $$$ now while lessening their headaches (Jaguar is a big one).
I dont really mind Ford owning Jag, as a longtime Jaguar fan. The XK8/XKR is one of the, if not the single sexiest car on the road, and the XJ series is, in my opinion, the epitome of a luxury sedan. While I dont like the X-type or S-type, there are enough good Jags on the road that I dont care if Ford owns them.
Jag and Aston Martin did share platform it was the XK platform but no longer. Ford and Jag share the LS platform that underpins the Lincoln LS/Ford Mustang/Ford Thunderbird/Jag XK. Maybe Carlos Ghosn could trun Jag around like he did with Nissan
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