By the end of this week Ford will likely announce the buyer of its Jaguar and Land Rover brands with finalization of the transfer set for early 2008.

The likely forerunner for the acquisition is Tata Motors of India, an entity that enjoys the support of the unions based in the United Kingdom that work in the Jaguar and Land Rover facilities.

Union leaders see Tata as an entity that will own both brands for a long period and that will invest in their development and evolution.

The sale of the two luxury brands based in England is an aspect of the restructuring program at Ford aimed at turning around the company's North American operations from the crippling losses of recent years.

The expected price for the two brands is approximately $2 billion with the cash amount yet to be determined.

The Ford president for the Americas, Mark Fields, said, "First and foremost in our minds is to make sure that we sell to a buyer that looks to grow [them]."

On Monday, December 17 the company issued a statement saying, "No final decisions have been made [regarding a buyer] and we anticipate reaching an agreement early next year."

Regardless of this cautious wording, sources close to the negotiations have told Automotive News that a decision is indeed in the offing before the close of 2007.