| The head of Ford Motor Co.'s Volvo car unit | | | | last year, Ford Motor Co. has been considering a |
| refused to discuss if the brand could end up being | | | | number of strategic alternatives for all of their |
| sold as its parent company looks to refocus on its | | | | operations, just like any responsible doing of a |
| troubled North American business. | | | | business. |
| In an interview on the sidelines of an auto | | | | For $848 million, Ford sold Aston Martin brand in |
| conference, the refusal by Volvo Car Corp. CEO | | | | March. And until recently, the company had said |
| Fredrik Arp follows news reports in Europe earlier | | | | that it was not interested in selling Land Rover |
| this year that Ford briefly investigated the idea of | | | | and Jaguar. For $2.5 billion, Ford purchased the |
| selling the Swedish brand. | | | | Jaguar passenger-car unit in 2000. But it has been |
| Ford announced earlier this month that it has | | | | forced to evaluate again its global business |
| retained financial advisors to be able to help it | | | | strategy as a result of big losses in North |
| identify "the best way forward" for its Land | | | | America, where high gasoline prices are dragging |
| Rover and Jaguar brands. These brands are part | | | | buyers away from Ford pickup trucks and |
| of the Ford Premier Automotive Group that lost | | | | sport-utility vehicles, while new entrants weaken |
| almost $4.8 billion since 2004, despite several | | | | the segments. |
| restructuring efforts. | | | | Last Tuesday, Mr. Arp said that Volvo's global |
| Ford has attributed much of the declined sales to | | | | vehicle sales climbed 8 percent during the first |
| Jaguar but does not break out results from its | | | | five months of the year, and that he expects |
| individual European luxury brands. Swedish brand | | | | that the brand will set a new record for unit sales |
| Volvo is also a portion of Premier Automotive | | | | this year. With quality Volvo brakes, Volvo cars |
| Group. | | | | reached between 430,000 and 450,000 units of |
| Mr. Arp reasoned that he rejected the discussion | | | | sales every year. Such sales figures are far |
| and speculation because it is not in the interest of | | | | fewer than competitors such as BMW AG and |
| Volvo car stakeholders, customers, dealers or | | | | DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes unit - each of which |
| anybody else, and because he does not own the | | | | sells more than a million vehicles every year. |
| business. He explained at the Prague conference | | | | As regards Volvo's financial performance over the |
| organized by the industry publication Automotive | | | | years as compared with the other brands in |
| News Europe. | | | | Ford's premium group, the company officials have |
| A Ford spokesman explained that the auto maker | | | | generally indicated greater satisfaction. Some |
| is not in discussions with any company with | | | | industry analysts have speculated that Volvo |
| regard selling Volvo, which it bought in 1999 for | | | | would be easier to sell than Jaguar or Land Rover |
| almost $6.5 billion. Nonetheless, Mr. Arp continued | | | | due to its initiatives in various safety features. |
| that as they have consistently been saying since | | | | |