Ford Motor Co. is still evaluating bids from three suitors for its Jaguar and Land Rover units, and a sale is not likely until early in 2008, according to sources briefed on the negotiations.

Car giant Ford will not make an announcement about the sale of its Jaguar and Land Rover subsidiaries until late this year or perhaps early 2008, the head of the company’s European operations said today.

Aerospace and defence group Smiths is to snap up one of the world’s leading medical device companies in a $925m (£476m / €688.7m) deal, it confirmed today.