Nissan shows friendly, swiveling electric vehicle

TOKYO - Nissan's ball-shaped electric vehicle can squeeze into tight spots without backing up because its wheels turn 90 degrees and the cabin part of the car can rotate in a complete circle.
The Pivo 2, being shown at the Tokyo auto show later this month, is a three-seat ecological commuter car that's fully working but too expensive to go on commercial sale yet, according to Nissan Motor Co. officials.
In a demonstration Friday, the concept car rolled up next to a tiny parking space, turned its wheels at an angle, then scooted into the space without the back-and-forth jockeying that most cars would need.

The top part of the car — the name is inspired by the word "pivot" — swivels 360 degrees, independent of the wheels, so drivers can turn to face whichever direction they want.
Nissan designers added robotics functions to the Pivo 2, an upgrade of a car shown a couple of years ago, so that a bobbing mechanical head near the steering wheel speaks in a cute electronic voice to provide companionship.

Ford leads fall in U.S. auto sales

DETROIT, Illinois (AP) -- General Motors, Honda and Nissan bucked the general weakness in the U.S. auto market with new vehicles that hit the showrooms running. By contrast, Ford Motor Co.'s sales plunged 21 percent, while Toyota Motor Corp. and Chrysler LLC also reported losses Tuesday.

Overall sales were down 3 percent for the month, according to Autodata Corp.
September brought a new combination of challenges for the industry, from a housing-market slump to a strike against General Motors Corp., but in the end it came down to the same old story: The company with the freshest products wins.
Jesse Toprak, the chief economist for the auto research site Edmunds.com, said the companies that did well in September either had well-designed, attractively priced products or spent enough on incentives to move their older products.
Toprak said that was part of the problem for Ford. GM and Toyota have new pickups, and Chrysler spent an estimated $6,386 per vehicle on the Dodge Ram pickup. Ford failed to match that incentive level for its aging F-150, so sales fell 21 percent.
"Ford is trying really hard to hold the line on incentive spending, and in some vehicle categories in very competitive market environments, that might be holding them back a little bit," Toprak said.
Ford also was hurt by a 62 percent reduction in sales to rental-car companies. George Pipas, Ford's top sales analyst, said Ford is on track to cut sales to daily rental fleets by more than its original goal of 30 percent this year, or 135,000 vehicles. All of the domestic automakers have been trying to cut back on rental sales, which can hurt brand image and profits.
Pipas said Ford's retail sales -- or sales excluding those to rental and other fleets -- were down 15 percent. That was bad news for the automaker, which hasn't seen a monthly sales increase since October 2006, according to Ward's AutoInfoBank. But Pipas said Ford is meeting its goal of stabilizing U.S. market share, which has held steady at around 13 percent for most of 2007. The company also saw some success with its Lincoln brand, which saw sales spike 33 percent thanks to the MKZ crossover.
Toyota posted a rare 4 percent decline but still outpaced Ford for the month and for the January-September period, continuing its drive to replace Ford as the nation's No. 2 automaker in sales after GM. Toyota had sold 28,654 more vehicles than Ford as of the end of September.
Toyota's overall decline compared with September of last year was led by its trucks, which were off 6 percent. Car sales were down 4 percent, the company reported, but it said the figures were compared with a best-ever September 2006.
Toprak said Toyota can't sustain the kinds of double-digit increases it had been seeing.
"They're suffering from their own success," he said.
GM's sales were flat for the month. Car sales were down 4 percent while truck sales were up 4 percent on the strength of the Chevrolet Silverado and other new pickups. GM also got a boost from new crossovers like the Buick Enclave and the new Cadillac CTS sedan, which posted a 73 percent sales increase for the month.
Honda Motor Co.'s U.S. sales rose more than 9 percent, with car sales up 7 percent and truck sales up 13 percent. The new Accord sedan and CR-V crossover vehicle fueled the increase, the company said.
Nissan Motor Co.'s sales gained 7 percent on the strength of its redesigned Altima sedan as well as the new Rogue crossover. Nissan's car sales were up 17 percent, while truck sales fell 6 percent.
Chrysler's car sales shot up 18 percent with the introduction of the newly redesigned Sebring, but its truck sales were down 11 percent and might have fallen further without heavy incentives. Chrysler's sales were down 5 percent overall.
Last week's two-day strike by the United Auto Workers union against GM had no impact on sales, GM sales analyst Paul Ballew said. GM produced 30,000 fewer vehicles because of the strike, but the company's production schedule is unchanged. The UAW struck GM before reaching a tentative agreement on a new contract.
Ballew said the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut in the middle of September also didn't have an immediate impact on sales, but helped calm the market and ensure that the tightening mortgage market won't affect automotive credit.
"For us as an industry, we support and applaud the Fed's move because we cannot have the spillover effects into other categories," Ballew said.
Still, he said high energy prices and a slump in important markets such as California and Florida will continue to hurt the industry through the fourth quarter.
Erich Merkle, vice president of auto-industry forecasting for consulting company IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids, said it will take months for the rate cut to trickle down to average consumers.
"These are pretty weak numbers and this is indicative of the overall weakness we've seen in the economy," Merkle said.
The Associated Press reports unadjusted figures, calculating the percentage change in the total number of vehicles sold in one month compared with the same month a year earlier. Some automakers report percentages adjusted for sales days. There were 25 sales days last month and 26 in September 2006.
Ford's shares rose 34 cents, or 4.1 percent, to $8.57 Tuesday as investors anticipated a new contract with the UAW that could help Ford. GM shares rose $1, or 2.8 percent, to $37.05.

'Mormon Meteor' Best of Show

On Sunday August 19 under pristinely sunny skies above California’s picturesque Monterey Peninsula, the 1935 Duesenberg SJ Special owned by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, Ohio, took Best of Show honors at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance, the annual vintage car show and competition now in its 57th year.

Also known as the “Mormon Meteor,” Yeaggy’s winning car is a supercharged Duesenberg once owned by colorful former Salt Lake City Mayor Ab Jenkins, who not only set speed records with the car but also drove it on the streets of the city.

Finished in bright yellow with large chrome lettering on the engine cover, the flamboyant Mormon Meteor caught the attention of the Pebble Beach Concours judges, who chose the SJ Special over all other automotive class winners of the day.

In 1935 the car made national headlines when it set a speed record, traveling for 24 hours at an average speed of 135.58 mph. It was more recently the focus of the automotive world when it sold at the 2004 Pebble Beach Auction conducted by Gooding & Company for a record $4.45 million.

"I'm trying to catch my breath," said Yeaggy on late Sunday afternoon while he stood atop the winner's ramp that the cars cross so owners can collect their trophies. "I knew I had a great car. I love the styling and the art deco look. . . . It's just elegant from every different direction. . . . In my opinion, this is the most significant American car ever built.”

Each year the Best of Show award goes to the car from the pool of class winners that receives the most votes from a distinguished panel of automotive judges. This year from the 24 different classes the judges also chose the 1930 Minerva AL Van Den Plas Cabriolet owned by Paul Emple of Rancho Sante Fe, Calif., and the 1930 Duesenberg J Murphy Disappearing Top Torpedo Convertible Coupe as finalists.

Fog that typically shrouds the field during the early morning judging portion of the Pebble Beach Concours was conspicuously absent this year, providing a clear, sunny day that showcased the field of outstanding vehicles from competitors in 30 U.S states and 12 countries.

"The Pebble Beach Concours has truly become 'the world's concours,'" said Concours Chairman Sandra Kasky Button. "In addition to enthusiasts, sponsors and media from around the globe, this year we welcomed exotic, historic vehicles from as far away as Hong Kong, Australia, Italy, Switzerland, Argentina and the Netherlands."

Comedian, past Concours participant, former class winner and perennial crowd favorite Jay Leno helped raffle cars, diamond jewelry and Rolex watches. Total proceeds from raffles, auctions, sponsorships and gate receipts helped contribute more than $1 million to charity for the second consecutive year.

Leno himself raised $25,000 during the awards presentation by auctioning VIP tickets to "The Tonight Show," along with a personally guided tour of his garage, which houses an extensive car collection.

Most Elegant Awards
The Best of Show trophy at Pebble Beach is the prize most coveted by heavy-hitters of the car collecting hobby. Second only to Best of Show are the Elegance Awards, presented to the most elegant car in four different categories: Most Elegant Closed Car, Most Elegant Convertible, Most Elegant Open Car and Most Elegant Sports Car.

The 1935 Duesenberg J Gurney Nutting Speedster, owned by the William Lyon Family, Newport Beach, California, was recognized as the most elegant open-top car.

The J.B. and Dorothy Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed Car trophy went to a 1934 Packard 1108 Dietrich Sport Sedan owned by Ray and Janet Scherr of Westlake Village, Calif.

A 1935 Duesenberg J Bohman & Schwartz Convertible Coupe owned by Sam & Emily Mann of Englewood, New Jersey, was named the most elegant convertible.

The Strother MacMinn Most Elegant Sports Car Trophy was bestowed upon a 1959 Aston Martin DBR1 owned by Adrian Beecroft of London, England.

Toyota Prius just keeps on going

Four years since its last redesign, there's more competition on the market, but the hybrid car is still a hit.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Nowadays, most car models get a major redesign about every 4 or 5 years. By that time, sales have started to slow as competitors have introduced fancier, better cars in the auto industry's endless cycle of one-upsmanship.
In that respect, the Toyota Prius is entering its golden years and should be ready for retirement soon. Rumors are even circulating about a possible replacement.

But there's something different about the Prius. Even now, the Prius is selling at a pace any car company would call hugely successful. Of all hybrid vehicles sold in America so far this year, more than half were Priuses and, thanks to increased production, Prius sales this year are up 76 percent so far this year.
The Prius is the company's third best-selling car here so far this year. With sales of 124,620 cars, it ranks behind only the Camry (324,000 cars) and Corolla (262,000).
As it ages and the market becomes more competitive, the Prius is losing little of its steam. "That's not been true of any other model that I'm aware of," said Tom Libby, an analyst with Power Information Network.

Its "days to turn" number - a measure of how long a car typically stays on a dealer's lot before being delivered to a customer - is 10. The industry average is in the mid-60s. Among hybrid cars, the closest any other comes is Toyota's own Camry Hybrid with 15 days, according to Edmunds.com.
This very success is why federal tax incentives for Toyota hybrids have been reduced. To give American automakers a fighting chance, Congress wrote a phase-out provision into the tax credit rules. As a given car company sold more hybrid vehicles, tax credits on its vehicles would diminish then, finally, vanish.
Already, Prius tax incentives have been cut to 25 percent of their original $3,150. By the end of this month, there will be no federal tax credits at all for the Prius or any of Toyota's hybrid vehicles.
So far, though, the lack of tax credits hasn't seemed to hurt. Toyota hasn't had to pile on its own incentives to make up for it. Incentive spending per car on the Prius is now $71, according to Edmunds.com. That compares to $685 for the Ford Escape Hybrid and nearly $1,500 for the Nissan Altima Hybrid.
Stand-out looks
Among industry experts, the most often cited reason for the Prius's continued success is, simply, that it looks unlike any other car on the market. The Prius is instantly recognizable, even from a block away, as a hybrid car.
For those who want to make a public statement about their desire to help the environment, that's an important selling point. "Even with our other hybrids, you've got to squint to see the hybrid badge," said Toyota spokesman Wade Hoyt.
But the standard take on the Prius's success - the idea that buyers just want to make a statement - probably oversimplifies its remarkable appeal.
"There was the potential for this to be a flash in the pan, the car of the moment. It's not," said Jack Nerad,Editorial Director for Kelley Blue Book and author of the Complete Idiot's Guide to Hybrid and Alternative Fuel Vehicles.
The Prius is successful, most importantly, because it asks its buyers to sacrifice nothing while making a statement. Prius drivers are not shoehorned into a cramped little car with no room for a family's weekend luggage. And, while it won't be showing up your local drag strip this weekend, the Prius is quick enough to keep up with most ordinary family cars.
Since it was designed from the wheels up as a hybrid vehicle, sacrifices were minimized. Since its body was designed around a hybrid drivetrain, batteries included, it has all the storage and interior space of a normal midsized car. Other hybrid sedans, like the Altima and Camry, lose storage space to battery packs.
And, don't forget, the Prius gets better fuel economy than any other car on the market. It gets a combined 46 miles per gallon, according to new, and more realistic, EPA testing methods.
The Prius's hybrid-only status helps in other ways, as well. When someone shopping for a Honda Civic Hybrid arrives at the dealership, he's faced with a clear choice. Several non-hybrid Civics are bound to be on the dealership floor right next to the Hybrid version. They will cost less money for what is otherwise the same car, and they will offer fuel economy that, if not quite as good, is still very good.
For the Prius shopper, no such temptation exists. You either buy the Prius or you don't.
And things that normally drive down prices of other cars - increased supply and large numbers already on the road - may paradoxically be helping the Prius.
Increased supplies of the car have reduced once-daunting waiting lists. And the fact that the Prius has been around for a while isn't dulling the car's luster, suggested Lonnie Miller, a spokesman for auto market research firm R.L. Polk. In fact, it's probably adding to it.
"I think, really, what it has going for it is that it has the longest accumulated reputation behind it," he said.
Other than one recall for a software problem, Prius owners haven't experienced big problems with their cars. Battery replacement also has not been a problem, even for cars put into heavy fleet use. Because of their design and how they're used, hybrid car battery performance doesn't decay the way laptop and cell phone battery performance does.
Hybrid technology costs money, of course, so there is a price to be paid for that extra fuel economy when compared to a similar non-hybrid car. So far at least, the Prius's freakishly strong resale value more than makes up for that initial investment. A Prius bought three years ago can still sold for nearly its original price.
Experts at Kelley Blue Book don't see any reason to think those strong resale values will continue for long, though. With production massively ramped up, today's Prius buyers will likely face a softer market for used Priuses when they go to sell.
For now, the Prius is enjoying a greatly extended moment in the sun. While the name means "to go before," it remains to be seen if anything that comes after will do as well.

Source: cnn news

Toyota plans record 10.4M vehicles

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Toyota announced Friday a global sales target for 2009 of about 10.4 million vehicles, a number that would put the Japanese automaker ahead of world leader General Motors' record reached 30 years ago.

Analysts say Toyota Motor Corp. is likely on track to beat General Motors Corp. as the world's biggest automaker in global vehicle sales as well as production this year -- a title Detroit-based GM has held for 76 years.
Toyota gave the ambitious sales plan in a document handed out as President Katsuaki Watanabe outlined the company's growth strategy for coming years.

Watanabe said Toyota will continue to upgrade quality in its products and work on technological innovations such as luxury Lexus hybrids.
"We will win in every opportunity, reduce risks, and even turn risks into opportunities," he said at a Tokyo hotel.
The record for annual global vehicle sales ever is the 9.55 million vehicles Detroit-based GM sold in 1978.
But Toyota has been closing in on the gap, getting a big boost from the popularity of its Camry sedans, Prius gas-electric hybrid and other models reputed for good mileage that are increasingly attractive amid soaring gas prices.
General Motors, which has been forced to scale back production amid intensifying competition from Toyota and other rivals, posted its third straight quarter of profit in the April-June period at $891 million. That marked a reversal from the $3.4 billion loss GM posted the same period last year.
Toyota and its group companies sold 8.8 million vehicles worldwide last year, trailing GM at 9.1 million vehicles.
Toyota has said it plans to sell 9.34 million vehicles this year, and 9.8 million vehicles in 2008. The 2009 target shows Toyota is determined to continue on that solid growth track.
Toyota has already beaten GM in global vehicle sales for the first six months of this year, selling 4.72 million vehicles, compared to GM's 4.674 million vehicles.
Toyota still trails GM in global vehicle production for the first half, rolling out 4.71 million vehicles worldwide.
General Motors, which produced 4.75 million vehicles during that period, does not give vehicle sales or production targets

Daimler, BMW may sue over China 'copycats'

August 29 2007: 6:01 AM EDT
SINGAPORE/SHANGHAI (Reuters) -- DaimlerChrysler and BMW are threatening legal action over Chinese-made vehicles that they claim are copies of their own models, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

DaimlerChrysler said it would consider unspecified legal action if tiny Chinese carmaker Shuanghuan Automobile showed the Noble, which it says closely resembles DaimlerChrysler's Smart Fortwo minicar, at next month's Frankfurt motor show, the FT reported, quoting a spokesman from DaimlerChrysler.
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BMW said it was considering legal action against the German importer of another Shuanghuan vehicle, the "CEO," which it claims closely resembles a previous version of its X5 sports utility vehicle that was discontinued in 2006, the paper said.

A Shuanghuan spokesman told Reuters by telephone from the company's headquarters in Shijiazhuang, in the northern province of Hebei, that he did not want to comment on the allegations.
But he added that both models were recognized as domestically developed vehicles by the Chinese government.

Shuanghuan's CEO has been sold in Southeast Asia, Italy and elsewhere, and several European dealers have expressed interest in the Noble minicar, he said, while declining to give sales figures.
The Chinese firm has not decided whether to attend the Frankfurt motor show, or whether to sell the Noble abroad, he added.
Visiting Beijing this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pressed for stronger protection of intellectual property rights.
"We take intellectual property protection very seriously," the Financial Times quoted the DaimlerChrysler spokesman as saying. "We decided to reserve the right to pursue legal action."
DaimlerChrysler (Charts), which following its sale of Chrysler is due to change its name to Daimler AG, has not elaborated on its legal plans, but the company is understood to have contacted Shuanghuan about the issue, the newspaper reported.
The German company last year succeeded in stopping another Chinese producer from bringing to market a different vehicle that closely resembled the Smart, the paper said.

Most Expensive Cars To Drive

Good news, Porsche lovers: Though a 911 GT3 will set you back $107,500, its estimated five-year operating costs are just $19,396.
Just?
In relative terms, yes. Even though it had the second-highest sticker price, the 911 GT3 had the lowest operating costs of the luxury cars on our list of the 10 most expensive to run.

The rankings didn't bode well for owners of the Mercedes G55, the BMW M6 Coupe and the Audi RS4. Operating costs set their owners back $26,544, $24,578 and $22,619, respectively.

"Expensive luxury cars tend to be big; they tend to have a lot of power; they have a lot of features," says David Wurster, co-founder and president of Vincentric, a Detroit-based automotive data firm that analyzes vehicle ownership expenses. "In a sense, you get more car for more money. But they're also more expensive to operate."
The Methodology Vincentric supplied five-year cost estimates for 2007 models. Its researchers looked at expected repair costs and expected scheduled maintenance costs. They also examined estimated fuel costs according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mileage ratings assuming 15,000 miles a year, using factory-recommended fuel--that is, regular, premium or diesel--at today's prices and weighted for a realistic mix between city and highway driving.
With premium gasoline in many areas topping $3 a gallon, it's no wonder cars and trucks with big, thirsty V8 engines dominate our list. What helped the 911 is Porsche's fuel-efficient, six-cylinder engine relative to the rest of this group. It gets close to 20 mpg in combined city/highway driving.
The $100,000 BMW M6 Coupe, on the other hand, has a rare V10 engine, which in five years is expected to eat up an estimated $19,229 worth of premium gasoline. This helps it land at No. 2 on the list, despite BMW's fairly comprehensive free scheduled-maintenance program for all models.
Even more expensive is gassing up the Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG sport utility, which unites two terms you don't usually hear together: "high-performance" and "SUV." Keeping the G55 AMG topped with premium gas for five years will cost an estimated $21,169, Vincentric reports.
Pros and Cons But while luxury cars tend to consume more fuel than, say, lower-priced models, they offset ownership costs in other ways.
James Bell, publisher of IntelliChoice.com, an online car-ranking service, says that depreciation is another major consideration, and an area where luxury vehicles are more likely to prove their value.
"Sometimes the car that has a sticker price that's lower by $5,000 can more than make up for it by losing more than $5,000 in value while you own it," he says. "You may actually be better off buying the car that's $5,000 more, if it retains its value better, which luxury cars tend to do."

84 Years Old and Still Driving His First Car

TO keep a car running for many years, change the oil every 3,000 miles, says Clarence Cleveland Curtiss. His advice is not new, especially for anybody who owns a 1990 Buick, a 1980 Chevy or even a 1964 Volkswagen.
But Mr. Curtiss, 84, of Shelton, has followed the advice with the first car he ever owned, a 1929 Ford Model A; it has 200,000 miles on it and still runs.
Mr. Curtiss said he was 15 in 1938 when he bought the car, which sold for $400 when new, from a Derby man for $10. It was during the Depression.
“He was out of work, and he was hungry,” Mr. Curtiss said. “I drove it for a year with no license, and the day I turned 16, I got my license with this car.”
Mr. Curtiss has made one major upgrade, installing a Hudson Terraplane engine in 1940, because, he said, “I raced kids home from high school with it, but there were a couple of cars I couldn’t beat.” That allowed it to go more than 80 miles an hour, compared with 55 m.p.h for a standard Model A. “Then I could beat them all,” he said.
Part of the car’s allure is that it has never been restored. There is a hole in one of the floorboards, cotton is coming out of the seats and some of the paint is wearing off. Mr. Curtiss has kits to restore it, but he can’t bring himself to use them. “People just love seeing it the way it is,” he said.
Mr. Curtiss also has a strong emotional attachment to the car. He met his wife, Dorothy, shortly after he bought it, when he was 17 and she was 14; they had been married 56 years when she died in 1998. The initials they carved on the steering wheel as teenagers can still be seen. “She was the first and only girl I ever kissed in the car,” he said. “It’s priceless because of that, as far as I’m concerned.”
“People say, ‘You’re probably glad that car can’t talk,’ ” he added.
Mr. Curtiss and Dorothy drove to the New York World’s Fair in Queens in 1940, and he drove to six Army camps from Massachusetts to Georgia when he served during World War II.
The Ford Motor Company made slightly more than five million Model A’s from 1928 through 1931. Chuck E. Christensen, 68, technical director of the Model A Ford Club of America, a collectors’ club based in La Habra, Calif., said there were an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 of those cars left. He said longtime owners like Mr. Curtiss were rare. “In most cases, the cars have been passed around many times over the years,” he said.
Bob Casey, curator of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., said the Model A had a better transmission and braking system and a sleeker design than its predecessor, the Model T. “The style of the Model A was very much similar to the Lincolns of the era,” he said. “The styling was overseen by Henry Ford’s son, Edsel, and he had a much better eye for the appearance of cars than his father did.”
Mr. Curtiss, who in the 1970s sold the Shelton car dealership that still bears his name, Curtiss-Ryan Honda, takes his Model A to 12 to 14 car shows a year. Signs on the doors proclaim it as his first car, and the handwritten story behind it is taped to a side window. It has won 14 trophies.
“It’s always the worst-looking car at every car show, but it always wins trophies because of the story behind it,” he said.
Mr. Curtiss said the car was not worth much because of its condition, and he planned to leave it to his family. “I’d love to keep on with the tradition of driving the car,” said his great-grandson, Mike Zenisky, 16, of Shelton. “It’s kind of a symbol of the love my great-grandfather and great-grandmother had for each other.”
The Model A is one of about 25 cars that Mr. Curtiss owns, including a 1907 Sears Auto Buggy, a 1937 Rolls-Royce, a 1949 Cadillac and a 1975 Sebring-Vanguard electric car that he still drives around town. But it’s the Model A, which carries memories of that first kiss and won all those high school races, that tugs at his heart.
“I had the first hot rod in Connecticut, as far as I know,” he said.

Deals for Ford Units Seen Fairly Soon

DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 20 — Ford Motor may have chosen the new owner for Jaguar and Land Rover by the time it reports its third-quarter results in October.
Ford expects offers for the two British brands to come in by Sept. 30, and could decide on the winning bidder within 10 days to two weeks after that, a person involved in the sale process said Monday. The person asked not to be identified because of the private nature of the discussions.
That is a little later than it looked as if Ford would sell the companies a few weeks ago. But the mid-October date makes logistical sense.
Last year, Ford reported its third-quarter financial results on Oct. 23.
It has not announced a reporting date yet for this year’s third quarter, but if it reports around the same time as last year, it may have a deal in hand for Jaguar and Land Rover.
“We have simply said that while we’ve set no timetable on these discussions, that we expect to come to a resolution by the end of this year, or early next year,” a Ford spokesman, Tom Hoyt, said Monday.
Even if the winning bidder is chosen by mid-October, the deal may not close by the end of 2007, the person involved in the sale process said.
One reason is the credit squeeze that has swept capital markets recently, causing some transactions to be delayed or fall apart.
That also could push down the selling price for the two brands.
Ford said this month that it was talking to “selected parties” about Land Rover and Jaguar and that it had begun a “strategic review” of Volvo, the Swedish carmaker. That was its first public acknowledgment that it wanted to shed that unit, which it bought in 1999. It bought Jaguar in 1990 and Land Rover in 2000.
Cerberus Capital Management, which bought the Chrysler Group from DaimlerChrysler this month, has acknowledged that it is among those taking a look at Land Rover and Jaguar.
Other possible bidders include TPG, the investment group run by investors David Bonderman and Jim Coulter, according to people with knowledge of the firm’s interest.