Premier Automotive Group
The
Premier Automotive Group (PAG), is a section of the
Ford Motor Company that combines the
business operations of its five European
automobile manufacturers:
Current marques:
*
Aston Martin*
Daimler*
Jaguar*
Land Rover*
Volvo CarsPast marques:
*
Lincoln (1998-2002)
All are British marques, except for Volvo, which is based in
Sweden.
Lincoln, Ford's American luxury car brand was part of the Premier Automotive Group from 1998 to 2002 as well.
PAG is based in
London, and its North American Headquarters in
Irvine,
California which is the first Ford
building, and the first building in
Orange County, to qualify for
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification from the
U.S. Green Building Council. When the headquarters first opened, some of its floors were each specifically dedicated to one of PAG's brands.
Ford's
luxury car division
Lincoln was part of the Premier Auto Group as well in the late
1990s, but was pulled out in
2002 as part of Ford's marketing strategy to separate its "import" marques from its domestic ones. During the creation of PAG, Lincoln's line-up received a complete overhaul, beginning with the
1998 redesign of the
Lincoln Town Car. The same year also saw the introduction of the
Lincoln Navigator SUV and in 2000 the
Lincoln LS, which shares its engine with the
Jaguar S-Type, was introduced. All three cars were designed in
Irvine, California, and were according to many critics heavily influenced by
Jaguar design themes. In both years
1998 and
2000 Lincoln was the best selling luxury car brand in the US. After
Cadillac surged back into the market in
2002, however, Ford pulled Lincoln out of the PAG in what is according to
Jerry Flint of
Forbes Magazine a "impossible to make sense out of... strategy."
In addition to the five brands considered part of the PAG, and the Ford brand, Ford also operates the
Lincoln and
Mercury brands, and owns 33.4% of
Mazda, giving them effective control of the company.
PAG is currently headed by
Lewis W.K. Booth.
*
1999-
2002 Wolfgang Reitzle*
2002-
2005 Mark Fields*
2005-present
Lewis Booth*
Ford brands*
"Ford Opens PAG Headquarters In California" from autointell.com*
Ford Quarterly Report, 1st Quarter 2003*
Ford PAG on Yahoo! Finance*
Lincoln in the PAG*
First California designed Town Car