The U.S. automakers has told parties interested in buying its Jaguar and Land Rover brands they may bid on the iconic British brands only if they don't close plants or move production overseas. As today's deadline passes for prospective buyers, Ford is treading carefully in Britain, where it is viewed virtually as a domestic brand. It is the best-selling brand there, and Ford is eager to avoid doing anything to undermine its position. "Ford wants to be seen as going with dignity where these brands are concerned," says Garel Rhys, director of the Centre for Automotive Industry at Cardiff …

A new ad campaign created by TBWA/Chiat/Day brings awareness of the many toxic cleaning solutions found in most homes by showcasing San Francisco-based Method Products' line of biodegradable cleaning products with the theme line, "Detox Your Home." Francesca Schuler, Method's vice president/marketing, says the campaign is a "call to action to live a healthier lifestyle. With all the green and health messages out there, we wanted to be clear about how to have a healthier home. The first thing to do is, get rid of those chemicals." Some of the ads are a bit provocative. One shows …

Turmoil in debt financing is hampering Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts' efforts to buy Macy's, whose real-estate assets would be disposed of through the investment firm's private-equity unit, according to sources. KKR wants to buy the department store chain for $24 billion or $52 a share, but Macy's stock price rose 7.6% Wednesday on news of the offer. Lingering effects of the subprime mortgage debacle are affecting the deal. "This couldn't be a worse time to try to get a deal done," says one source. One Wall Street analyst thinks there will be a deal. "Macy's has a …

As China moves to overtake the U.S. market in auto sales in a few years, Honda plans to create a new brand with its Chinese partner, a first for that country. Foreign carmakers have heretofore produced cars developed outside China to protect their designs and engineering. Masaya Nagai, a Honda spokesman in Beijing, says the move is a natural progression that Honda has followed in other countries, including the U.S., where Honda has a design center with the capability of creating locally tailored models. Nagai said the new line of cars would initially be derived from existing Honda …

Diageo is going out on a limb with a new product billed as "pure spring water + alcohol" under the Smirnoff label, but with no vodka in it. The company, aware of activist groups and attorneys general who don't take kindly to marketing products that appeal to minors, is trying to assure state lawyers that its marketing will be governed by "one of the most stringent [codes] in the industry." Smirnoff Source is a malt-based alcohol beverage designed to taste like vodka with a hint of citrus. It is expected to go national by January and compete against light …

Citing pending legislation in Washington that would dramatically increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, Chrysler is scuttling plans to revive the Imperial. Unveiled as a concept at Detroit's 2006 auto show, the Imperial was to be a V-8-powered luxury model positioned above the 300C. It was set to go into production in 2009. Legislation is moving through Congress that calls for raising CAFE standards 40% to 35 miles per gallon for cars and trucks combined by 2020. The Senate has already approved the measure, and the fuel debate is heating up in the House. Consumer tastes are changing as …

Emotion plays a much larger role in consumer-spending behavior than awareness of credit-card debt, according to a new study paid for by the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Ford Foundation. For many shoppers, the study asserts, knowledge of interest rates and mounting debt can be so depressing that it spurs them to binge shop to alleviate the gloom. Of the 471 consumers whose spending decisions were studied by Richard Wiener, a professor of law and psychology at the University of Nebraska, about one out of every five shops to end a bad mood. Wiener says the proportion among consumers …

"Mad Men," an ambitious new drama that debuts on cable net AMC Thursday at 10 p.m., is set in the fictional Sterling Cooper ad agency perched high above Madison Avenue in 1960. In this world, women of all ages are girls, and know it. Liquor punctuates the workdays of the men in charge. Everybody smokes -- anytime, anywhere -- despite the warning that cigarettes can kill you. Meanwhile, the Pill has just burst on the scene, and desperate housewives are trying psychotherapy. The show's charm is that it doesn't treat 1960 as a quaint aberration. "Things don't …

Miller Brewing's Genuine Draft is partnering with the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame to sponsor artist interviews and performances in key markets that will be videotaped for rebroadcast on the Web. Developed in conjunction with promotional agency Arc and executed by GMR Worldwide and digital agency Digitas, "The Craft" series of interviews explores the experiences that shaped the songs written by popular musicians. (The Craft refers both to songwriting and brewing beer.) The series began last week in San Diego with Jim James, the singer and principal songwriter for My Morning Jacket. Other artists will include …

Heinz has been touting the benefits of lycopene for years, saying that a "tomato-rich diet may lower the risk of prostate cancer and certain chronic ailments, including heart disease and other cancers," reduce cholesterol and fight osteoporosis to boot. Last week, the FDA announced that food makers should limit claims that tomatoes and lycopene can forestall cancers. In an article published by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, it says there is no credible evidence linking lycopene--a pigment that gives tomatoes and watermelon flesh their red coloring--to the prevention of lung, rectal, breast or uterine cancers. …