Mumbai: Another former head of Ford Motor Company has entered the bidding war for Jaguar and Land Rover amidst speculation that the Tatas have emerged as the front-runners for acquiring the US carmaker's two premium UK brands.

Sir Nick Scheele, Ford's president and chief operating officer from 2001 to 2005, has joined forces with Ripplewood Holdings for conducting due diligence on the brands, reports quoting sources close to the developments said.

The decision pits him against Jac Nasser, Ford's chief executive from 1999 to 2001, who leads a separate bid by buy-out group, One Equity.

Jaguar and Land Rover are now expected to cost between $2 billion and $3 billion, although Merrill Lynch had earlier evaluated them at around $1.5 billion.

But the deal is still far from being clinched and sources say the initial bids submitted late last week are purely "indicative" and the actual process has only begun.

Shortlisted bidders have, meanwhile, started the process of appointing advisors and are likely to meet Ford officials, and the management of Jaguar and Land Rover over the next week.

Ford officials have denied reports that Tata Motors has already bagged the deal. They also refused to identify the bidders. They merely said the company is examining the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover "in greater detail", after receiving preliminary bids last week.

Sources said the deal would incorporate a built-in clause to make it impossible for the buyer to retrench employees or restructure operations at the UK plants.

Ford will seek assurances from potential buyers that they keep all the UK factories - Coventry, Birmingham, Liverpool for Jaguar and West Midlands for Land Rover - running for at least five years to safeguard UK jobs, they said.

Together, the two British brands employ around 19,000 people.

The sale of Jaguar and Land Rover has generated wider interest in spite of concerns about tightening debt markets and Jaguar's negative financial position.

The two brands are also facing regulatory curbs from draft European Union and US legislation about vehicle emissions and fuel economy.

Private equity firms Cerberus Capital Management, TPG Capital, and Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra are also preparing bids for the two marque brands.