Tata wastes no time after acquiring both Land Rover and Jaguar in a $2.3 billion purchase from Ford: Land Rover LRX and the Jaguar F-Type concept receive an immediate go-ahead.

After Ford sat on the decisions for the two concepts, and appropriately so since they were planning to unload them, Tata took no time at all in the aggressive decision to target them both for a 2012 release. Both the Jaguar F-Type Concept or XE as some refer to it and the Land Rover LRX give a “Tip of the Hat” to the respected design heritage of their British Auto Maker, while also giving a nod toward the future.

The Jaguar XE/F-Type is intended to be a sportscar that can compete with the big names of Porsche, Ferrari and Maserati. The open air roadster shares some of the design cues of great roadsters and racing roadsters of the past. It is uncertain as to whether the roadster design will be bolted to an XF or XK chassis, but either way it is certain to be a show-stopper.

The Land Rover LRX has made its way through a show or two and has found some outside support of its own. As a sleek two-door sport concept model it would certainly stand out among the great 4×4’s associated to Land Rover. The interior carries that Concept flare toward future gadgets and elegant seating and trimming, but unlike other concept autos Land Rover has expressed the desire to keep much of their concept LRX’s design intact well into production… as evidenced in the photo galleries to follow.

The speculation and waiting is finally over as Ford is set to officially announce the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to the Indian motor company Tata. Despite reports of a higher closing bid, as high as $2.65 billion, the final closing amount to be paid by Tata has been revealed by Ford at $2.3 billion.
The news was released Tuesday afternoon on the news wire, but Ford wished to wait until Wednesday morning to make their statement to the public. That was to give them at least a day to break the news to all their employees who may not have access to a radio, TV or the internet.
While some analysts and bloggers express concern for the future of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands under Tata, the sale will surely prove another step toward someday finding the books in the black for Ford. The empire building performed by Ford and GM done in the 90’s and early 2000’s have proven to be too costly and not nearly as profitable as they had hoped. With the conclusion of this sale by Ford there will only remain Mazda and Volvo tagging along with the Ford/Lincoln/Mercury brands.
Tata is a builder of small passenger cars and heavy duty trucks, and happens to be the largest automotive company in India. They have been looking for ways to expand their company outside of their country and may be eyeing Jaguar and Land Rover for that purpose. Their want for Land Rover would also give them the luxury SUV’s to go along with their trucks and that may be an easier marriage into the brand than Jaguar. There are many that worry about Tata’s vision for Jaguar and that the British coach builder might suffer as being forced into the sale as a package deal.

Land Rover presented their Special Edition Defender SVX destined to sell out in the UK when it is released for sale in the Summer of 2008. As a special preview Land Rover presented the first Defender two-seat drop-top to the Red Cross to be auctioned off to raise money for their humanitarian efforts. The winner of the auction will be the first to own Land Rovers make-over of the off-road vehicle that has traversed the world. With its new chrome grill surround, clear headlights and polished roll bars the revised Defender is sure to catch many eyes, both human and animal, when they make their way along the worlds unpaved trails.

Land Rover plans to make only 200 of their Special Edition Defender, so if you are in the UK and have a true yearning for one you best act fast.

That Jaguar symbol may look as though it is moving fast but that is no indication of the speed with which Ford will be able to unload the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. That is the speculation coming from Topspeed and could very well be the concern of Fords Board of Directors, along with Ford’s President Alan Mulally.

Mulally expressed doubt that the credit volatility of world markets would slow down the sale of Jaguar and/or Land Rover. However there are very few indications coming from the mouth-pieces of Ford nor any interested buyers that the case is otherwise.

Topspeed further intimates that the effects of the uncertain credit markets in North America and Europe could open the door for other interested parties not effected by international credit. Namely, Russia and China may yet have a buyer step forward that might be looking to expand their own brands into other markets and could use an affiliation with Jaguar or Land Rover as a stepping stone.

The only thing that seems certain at this point is that we are sure to hear more on this topic in the months or year to come.

Source[TopSpeed]