Tata Motors named as favored buyer for Jaguar and Land Rover

(CNN) - India's Tata Motors was named by Ford as the preferred buyer of the U.S. car maker's Jaguar and Land Rover models.

The Indian firm's potential takeover of the two luxury car models, both manufactured in Britain, had already won the backing of unions.

Lewis Booth, executive vice president of Ford Motor Company, said in a statement Ford was "committed to focused negotiations at a more detailed level" with Tata Motors, which is part of the Tata business empire.