When in 2000 Ford bought Land Rover from BMW, it was decided that if BMW ever decides to sell the Rover brand, Ford will have the right to buy it. This August BMW decided to sell Rover to Shanghai Automotive. Of course they asked Ford first, giving it 90 days to make a decision. But no-one really expected Ford to use its right to acquire Rover. Ford did it "to protect the Land Rover name". The acquisition is being handled by the Premier Automotive Group.
Ford announced first that they don't intend to sell the brand to another automaker. However, it's rumoured that Mazda might use Rover name as a brand for its luxury products (like Infiniti for Nissan and Lexus for Toyota). In 1992 Mazda already planned to introduce such a brand in North America - the Amati, but the project was discontinued.