Ford has released details of the impending sale of their premium British brands to Indian automaker Tata. The short story is a closing date by the end of next quarter and a paltry $2.3 Billion US.

The long story of course is still in the crystal ball stage. There is little question that this sale will have a dramatic effect on the Indian car market. How much effect will it have on the North American market remains to be seen, but Tata will now have an established dealer network on our shores. Could we see a new economy brand on this continent over the coming years? Only time will tell.

Full details from Ford after the break
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Regular readers know that I rarely comment on the business side of the auto industry. It’s just not my thing. Over the past few weeks though, the Carnival of Wheels has received an increasing number of submissions from Indian bloggers since the Tata company announced their $2,500 Nano.

Who would have thought that the manufacturer of throw away cars would also take on two of the worlds’ top luxury brands? That’s right, Tata Motors is about to buy Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford, lock stock & barrel.

The auto media, both new and traditional, have been full of news & speculation about Tata in the past months. With the impending purchase of two significant brands, how long will it be before we see Indian cars on our continent?

Reuters article after the break
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With all the talk and reveals of super cars in the news today, does anyone know what Toyota’s first super roll out was? We take you back to the Tokyo Motor Show in 1965 to pull the concept canvas off the Toyota 2000 GT.

The car officially went into production in 1967.

1967 Toyota 2000GT

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Jaguar is banking heavily on its new XF sedan to put some meat back on its starving cat.

From the initial look this week in LA it seems the brand might be ready for the resurgence they have been hoping for.The XF has two different 4.2 liter V-8 power plants. One a naturally aspirated variant turns out 300 horsepower and 310lb-ft of torque, while the other a supercharged powerhouse that turns out 420 horse and 408lb –ft of torque.Both come with six speed automatic with prices ranging from $49,975 - $55,975. The XF hits showrooms in March.

Named for the legendary Scottish driver, the Jim Clark Memorial Award is awarded annually to a Scottish citizen who has made a difference to motor racing. The 2007 recipient is TV host Lee McKenzie. 28 year old Lee has been chasing her journalistic dreams since the ripe old age of 15 and has covered F1, DTM, Porsche Supercup and currently is traveling with A1GP. She even got her WRC co-driver’s license and has competed in several WRC rounds, proving that she can put her knowledge of the sport to good use inside the car as well as on screen.

Ford Media release after the break
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Jaguar’s of the last few years have gone a long way to reclaiming some of the marque’s previous glory. At the forefront of this renaissance is the Jaguar XKR, which has built a mystique of it’s own that’s worthy of it’s heritage. Jaguar is determined that the XKR should stay at the pinnacle of automotive lustability, and with that in mind, they are offering the 2008 XKR Portfolio.

An all aluminum, supercharged, 420 hp V8 feeding a six speed automatic with paddle shift, twists the 20 inch Cremona 5 spoke wheels. At 4.9 seconds zero to sixty, the cat is slowed by the biggest brakes ever fitted to a production Jaguar. Odd then that the top speed is electronically controlled to a lowly 155 mph. Surely society can accept a British sports car with a wicked top speed. Perhaps Jaguar are hiding their potential for the 2008 Le Mans event!

Jaguar press release & more photos after the break:
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The artiste was working hard during press day at the Canadian International Auto Show. We’ve got lots of images to follow, as we get the galleries set up. For now, enjoy the classic Jaguar front view.

You’ve ruined my Saturday morning read! This from a friend who religiously reads the Wheels section of the Toronto Star every weekend. From reading The Garage, he’s already read most of the info that’s printed in the paper before it arrives. This may be the root of the problem between New Media and Traditional Media. New Media (ie blogs) publish the news as it happens. Traditional Media typically publish the news a week or even months after it actually happens. This problem is not limited to the motoring industry, as it affects all media outlets. News has always been about getting The Scoop. Due to the realities of publishing, bloggers get The Scoop more often than not these days and that has to be hurting the print guys. The print guys are striking back.
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