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The future of Jaguar Land Rover, the largest UK-based car maker, is under threat as talks with the Government about a financial support package were on the brink of collapse last night. JLR, which is owned by Indian conglomerate Tata, needs guarantees on a £340m loan from the European Investment Bank and a £400m financial package from state-backed banks Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group. However, according to sources close to the negotiations, JLR and Tata were left reeling on Friday by what they believe are unacceptable final terms set by the Government for underwriting the EIB loan....

Foreign companies and governments sometimes spend millions of pounds on research trying to "get inside the British mind", but there is a simpler way to work out what makes the traditional Englishman tick. Just find an old Land Rover, fire up its engine, and take it for a short drive down a country lane. The noise! The discomfort! Most of all the smell! The aroma is an odd mixture of Castrol oil, barn dust and chicken droppings. For some inexplicable reason, this is true of Land Rovers around the world, from Kettering to Kinshasa. They all have that smell, even...

Daily Market Commentary for March 26, 2008 from Millennium-Traders.Com Markets were plagued today with extremely light trading activity along with, low trading volume, across the board. A negative market trend followed the indices, into the close. Economic data out today fueled the selloff across the street. The Dollar moved lower (again) and crude oil soared higher by over $4 a barrel. New home sales fell to their lowest level in 13 years. Mortgage Bankers Association reported an increase in mortgage applications today which provides a slight glimmer of hope for the housing industry. Ford Motor is selling Jaguar and Land...

NEW DELHI (AFP) — India's Tata Motors, named front-runner to buy Ford's Jaguar and Land Rover units, could make a huge technological leap and save years of development by acquiring the car icons, analysts said. Ailing US automaker Ford Motor announced on Thursday it had entered "detailed talks" with Tata Motors, part of India's sprawling tea-to-steel Tata Group, for the sale of the luxury auto brands. "From a technology point of view and given the Tatas' global ambitions, this purchase would make a lot of sense," said Chirag Shah, analyst at Mumbai's Emkay Securities. "If they (Tata Motors) want to...

Two of the most iconic names in British motoring – Jaguar and Land Rover – are set to be taken over by Indian industrialists. The Tata group, whose interests include a chain of hotels responsible for some of the world’s finest Indian chefs, has emerged as favourite to take over the businesses. Ford is set to announce the new owners of its two troubled premium car makers within weeks. Should the Tata deal go ahead Jaguar and Land Rover will follow in the footsteps of MG, another erstwhile prestige British manufacturer, in falling into Asian hands. The Tata group is...

By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press WriterTue Jun 26, 11:29 AM ET Fewer chartered planes, more train trips and a royal Jaguar that runs on cooking oil have helped Prince Charles achieve a carbon-neutral household, an annual review of the prince's accounts said Tuesday. The annual review by the prince's Clarence House office said Charles cut his annual carbon emissions by 9 percent, to 3,775 tons, between April 1, 2006 and March 31 of this year. The prince offset those emissions by investing in an agency that promotes tree planting and sustainable energy projects. The review said the prince's households —...

Ford Motor plans to sell Jaguar and Land Rover, its two British luxury brands, in an apparent step back from premium carmaking. Ford has asked Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and HSBC to advise on the sale, which is said to be in early stages and does not include Volvo, the third luxury brand in its Premier Automotive Group. The lossmaking car companyÂ’s share price was trading 1.5 per cent higher at $8.36 on Monday afternoon after news of the sale emerged. Ford is understood to be selling the two brands jointly. Jaguar and Land RoverÂ’s vehicles do not share common...

WASHINGTON -- Nineteen conservative groups said Monday they would reinstate a boycott of Ford Motor Co., contending the automaker reneged on an agreement to stop supporting gay rights organizations. The groups set up a Web site urging supporters not to buy Ford vehicles after the automaker said last December it would continue running advertisements in gay publications. The American Family Association, which is leading this latest effort, had originally called for a boycott of Ford last year but suspended it for six months at the request of some Ford dealers. "Ford has the right to financially support homosexual groups promoting...

DETROIT -- For the first time in nine years, all of the top picks in Consumer Reports' annual vehicle guide are made by Japanese automakers. The Honda Civic is the magazine's top small sedan, while the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is the top mid-sized sport utility vehicle, according to results released Wednesday. Vehicles from Nissan Motor Co. and Subaru, a division of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., round out the top picks in 10 categories. Asian brands also fared best in the magazine's survey of vehicle reliability. Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus brand was first, while Honda was second and the Toyota brand...

As you may have noticed, Ford Motor Co. made a hasty retreat this week from its announcement that it would stop advertising in gay and lesbian publications. It was a triumph for individual rights, fair treatment and a more tolerant social structure. Uh, sure. If that's how you want to see it. Personally, I'd say it had more to do with a simpler common denominator. Money. For all the dialogue about the social significance, for example, of the new gay-themed cowboy movie "Brokeback Mountain,'' the real issue won't be whether it breaks cinematic ground, but whether it breaks even on...

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday said it will run advertisements in gay publications, reversing a decision last week to pull all advertising of its Jaguar and Land Rover luxury brands from that sector. In a letter to some gay, lesbian and human rights groups, Ford said it has decided to run corporate ads for all its eight brands, including its Jaguar and Land Rover luxury brands, in the targeted publications. "It is my hope that this will remove any ambiguity about Ford's desire to advertise to all important audiences and put this particular issue behind us," Joe...

DETROIT -- A Mississippi-based conservative Christian group has canceled a boycott of Ford Motor Company. The Tupelo-based American Family Association first announced the boycott against Ford and related brands on May 31. AFA criticized Ford as being too gay-friendly, giving thousands of dollars to gay rights groups, offering benefits to same-sex couples and actively recruiting gay employees. Gay rights activists now say they fear there may be a secret deal between the AFA and the company. Ford has denied any such deal. After a spring meeting with a group of Ford dealers, the association said in June that it was...

DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. said on Tuesday that its luxury Jaguar and Land Rover brands will no longer advertise in gay publications, but denied that the nation's second largest automaker made the decision under pressure from conservative Christian groups. "The decisions with regard to advertising was a business decision," Ford spokesman Mike Moran said. He said Ford's Volvo brand would continue advertising in gay publications. Ford hasn't advertised its Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands in those publications, Moran added. Moran said Jaguar and Land Rover, which are part of Ford's money- losing Premier Automotive Group, have decided to cut...

If one looks for the company which has done the most to affirm and promote the homosexual lifestyle, he would be hard-pressed to find a company which has done more than Ford Motor Company. While this is hardly known to the general population, it is well known by numerous homosexual organizations. In fact, the Human Rights Campaign (a national homosexual organization whose goal is homosexual marriage) gave Ford a 100% corporate rating. Ford makes not only Ford, but also Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar, and Land Rover. From redefining family to include homosexual marriage, to giving hundreds of thousands of...

A major automaker is partnering with a homosexual activist group by developing a special marketing campaign geared towards homosexuals. Ford Motor Company's Jaguar North America and Land Rover North America announced Tuesday their expanded national sponsorship of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). The automakers will launch ads this month featuring a special "give-back" purchase offer benefiting the group, as part of a marketing and advertising campaign designed to reach "gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) consumers." "At Jaguar we understand the importance of creating strong partnerships with community organizations that impact our customers' lives," said George Ayres,...

Two automakers are partnering with a homosexual activist group by developing a special marketing campaign geared towards homosexuals. Jaguar North America and Land Rover North America announced Tuesday their expanded national sponsorship of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). The automakers will launch ads this month featuring a special "give-back" purchase offer benefiting the group, as part of a marketing and advertising campaign designed to reach "gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) consumers." "At Jaguar we understand the importance of creating strong partnerships with community organizations that impact our customers' lives," said George Ayres, vice president of marketing...

The Boston Fog ReportAn ongoing examination of John Kerry’s “nuances and shades of gray in both foreign and domestic policy.” (Editorial, “A Primary Endorsement,” The New York Times, 2/26/04)for·a·gainst adverb. 1. To be both for and against something at the same time: e.g. “I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.” (Glen Johnson, “Kerry Blasts Bush On Protecting Troops,” The Boston Globe, 3/17/04) "When John Kerry was in Michigan, he said he owned a 'big' Suburban. When he was at an Earth Day rally, he said he didn't own any SUVs. Yesterday, he reverted...

Is this the greatest car of all?By Gordon Lomas July 30, 2003 IN ARGUABLY one of the most controversial motoring decisions in recent times, the Land Rover has been named the greatest car of all time by BBC TV's Top Gear program. Born in 1948 and known as the Land Rover Defender since 1990, the car landed the gong after viewers cast telephone votes from a short-list of nine vehicles offered by the program's panel of experts. It is claimed that from the 2 million sold over 55 years, two-thirds of Land Rovers are still on the roads today worldwide....

Recently I have been pricing Land Rovers (used of course), and I know there are a lot of car experts on here. My question, are they known for going for tons of miles, as long as they are maintained well? I have heard stories about Volvos and other cars going for 200-300 thousand miles, and other brands doing that as well, I just didnt know if Land Rover was the same way.The reason I ask is because I am coming across some in my price range that say "low miles" and they have anywhere between 70,000 and 95,000 miles on...