THE chairman of car manufacturer Ford said yesterday he was "encouraged" by the progress of Jaguar and Land Rover despite growing speculation the brands would be sold. The Jaguar X Type is built at the company's Halewood plant and the factory will also soon start production of the new Land Rover Freelander model. Both brands are part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group (PAG) and the company is currently examining "strategic alternatives" for the division. Many analysts believe that review will lead to PAG's sale and there seems to be no shortage of potential bidders. The chairman of digger maker JCB, Sir Anthony Bamford, has said he would be interested in buying Jaguar, which Ford acquired for £1.6bn in 1989, but not Land Rover. It was also reported last month that Russia's sixth richest man and owner of the Gaz car manufacturer, Oleg Deripaska, was himself considering a bid for Jaguar. Yesterday, group chairman Bill Ford said the company was considering selling luxury brand, Aston Martin, currently also part of PAG but he added no decision had yet been taken on Jaguar or Land Rover. He added: ""Regarding our other Premier Automotive Group brands, we've made no decisions, as our review of strategic alternatives continues. "However, we continue to be encouraged by Jaguar's progress and by the strength and consumer appeal of the Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo product lineups." Mr Ford said it had started the process of exploring strategic options for Aston Martin, with particular emphasis on a potential sale of all or part of the business. "As part of our ongoing strategic review, we have determined that Aston Martin may be an attractive opportunity to raise capital and generate value," he said. "Aston Martin Lagonda has flourished under Ford ownership, which is why we believe it prudent to consider a sale of all or part of this prized brand. "Since Aston Martin's dealer network, product architecture and size are distinctly different from other Ford brands, it is the most logical and capital-smart divestiture choice. "The objective of any sale would be to position Aston Martin within a structure and resource base sufficient to allow it to reach its full potential, while enabling Ford to efficiently raise capital for its other brands." ¦ THE UK car industry was given a much -needed boost yesterday after Toyota revealed that its UK operations had finally moved into the black. The Japanese car maker said its Burnaston assembly plant near Derby and its Deeside engine factory in North Wales made pre-tax profits of £60.2m last year. It was 20% higher than the £50.4m banked 12 months earlier and meant Toyota had finally covered the cost of starting up in the UK 17 years ago. | 
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