Ford is understood to have attracted several expressions of interest in its Land Rover and Jaguar brands, with private equity companies to the fore.
The US company is reviewing all the options for the two brands, part of its Premier Automotive Group, including a possible sale and has been seeking to ascertain the level of interest ahead of the announcement of second quarter figures which are due next week.
Ford is refusing to comment but is understood to have set yesterday as an informal date by which it hoped any potential buyers would have signalled their interest. The approaches are seen as the start of an ongoing process which is expected to last for some time.
Among those thought to have expressed interest are the private equity groups Cerberus - which is acquiring Chrysler from Daimler - One Equity, and Ripplewood Holdings. Trades unions have expressed concern at the prospect of a sale to a private equity buyer.
Potential trade buyers are thought to have been more cautious, with most car makers either already having a presence in the luxury car and sports utility vehicle markets or having decided the business was not for them.
India's Tata Motors, part of the group which acquired Anglo-Dutch steel maker Corus for £6.7bn this year, is thought to be looking at the two British car brands.
Ford has already sold one part of PAG, Aston Martin, and is also considering the future of Sweden's Volvo, though the process is separate from the review of the future of Jaguar and Land Rover.
Land Rover is seen as the more valuable of the two marques, leading to speculation that Ford might be prepared to sell them separately. Industry sources have played down the prospect because of the close production links between the two brands, with models of both marques being produced at the Halewood plant on Merseyside.
Yesterday Ford's arch-rival, General Motors, said sales in the second quarter of the year had totalled 2.4m vehicles, just ahead of the same period last time.
GM saw sales in the emerging market soar while in western Europe a strong performance by Vauxhall in the UK compensated for lower sales in Germany. In the US market, GM saw sales fall 7% to 1.2 m vehicles. The auto maker blamed higher fuel prices and worries about the US housing market for curbing sales.
Overall sales of GM vehicles totalled 4.67m in the first half of the year, with the company predicting it was now on track for its second best annual sales performance in its almost 100-year history.
