* Ford sells Jag and LR. In late March, Ford Motor Co. announced the sale of two of its British-based manufacturing operations-Jaguar and Land Rover-to Tata Motors of New Delhi, India. After months of negotiation, the deal was said to have been worth $2.3 billion to Ford. As a result of the sale, Ford contributed $600 million to the Jaguar/Land Rover pension funds and will continue to be a major supplier of powertrains and other vehicle components, as well as providing engineering support and accounting services.

While Ford has been losing money in recent years, profits at Tata had a 26 percent increase in its recent fiscal year and exports are up 10 percent. India's largest automaker, Tata markets vehicles in Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.

Tata manufactures a wide variety of passenger cars, pickups, SUVs, utility vehicles, and buses, but is generally known for its inexpensive small cars, including its recently introduced Nano, a four-door passenger car that sells for about $2,500. In March, Tata debuted its high-end sport-utility vehicle, the Sumo Grande, which retails for about $18,500.

Tata has agreed to adhere to the Jaguar and Land Rover business plans that run through 2011 and will not move the British operations of the two expensive vehicle lines. "We are pleased at the prospect of having Jaguar and Land Rover being a significant part of our automotive business," said Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Motors.

Jaguar was established in 1922 and offers some of the world's most exotic sports sedans. Land Rover has been in the marketplace since 1948 and is known for its technologically advanced four-wheel-drive models. Ford purchased the two in 1989 and 2000 respectively.

 

* "Safest" Volvo debuts. It's being hailed by Volvo Cars as the safest car that Volvo has ever produced and has gone from a concept model to a production unit that will go on sale this fall in Europe and in the spring of 2009 in North America. With its world debut at the recent Geneva Auto Show, the 2009 Volvo XC60 crossover is an all-wheel-drive unit with Instant Traction and is powered by a turbocharged T6 engine.

A variety of intelligent safety systems are included on the XC60, such as sensors to detect a driver's heartbeat in a side-impact collision; sensors and cameras to alert the driver to approaching lights; and for the first time, the Volvo City Safety System, an accident prevention system that helps reduce or eliminate whiplash injuries and vehicle damage in low-speed impacts.

City Safety activates when the Volvo is about to drive into the vehicle in front of it and the driver does not react to the impending crash. Brakes are automatically applied to avoid, or at least lessen, the impact.

The XC60 is also loaded with other safety technology as well as every conceivable airbag and head restraint system available in the market.

 

 

* Say goodbye to Champ Car racing. The open-wheel Champ Car World Series LLC (formerly known as CART) officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in federal court in March and held its last race on April 20 in Long Beach, Calif. The company will continue to manage its business and property entities until creditors are paid off through the court. While debt is said to be about $10 million, the company has assets of somewhere between $10 and $50 million, according to industry sources.