KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — Tony Fernandes, chief executive officer of low-cost carrier AirAsia Bhd, plans to sell the Caterham group of automotive and engineering companies, The Edge Malaysia reported.
The 50-year-old Malaysian businessman is seeking about £350 million (RM1.8 billion) for the assets that include UK sports car manufacturer Caterham Cars Ltd and the Caterham Formula One Team, the newspaper said, citing a person it didn’t identify.
An information memorandum on the sale is being circulated in the Middle East, Edge reported. Fernandes didn’t respond to a call and a text message to his mobile phone, as well as an e- mail, seeking comment.
The reported sale follows Fernandes’s warning in January to stop funding the F1 Team if performance didn’t improve, the Edge reported. The Caterham-Renault racing team failed to win a single point in the 2012 and 2013 seasons, as well as in the first five races this year, official FIA results showed.
Fernandes also scrapped a plan to introduce a premium private-jet operation known as Caterham Jet after several failed attempts, the Malaysian Reserve newspaper reported on May 23.
Fernandes, ranked 28th richest person in Malaysia by Forbes magazine with a net worth of US$650 million (RM2 billion), also owns British football club Queens Park Rangers that has won promotion to the Premier League next season. — Bloomberg
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