Jaguar still jaded

Newswheel staff :: 19 September 2005 :: Filed under Coupe, Saloon, Jaguar, Jaguar XK8, Europe & UK, US

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No good news for beleaguered British brand

Are things getting any better for Jaguar? Granted, the pretty but bland second generation XK8 coupe is generating plenty of positive column inches. But here’s the problem: the bottom line is as bad as ever.

Further evidence comes courtesy of UK rag Autocar Magazine, which recently mused on Jag sales predictions for 2005. According to motor industry analysts the big cat is looking at a worldwide total of 80,000 units, down from 105,000 last year. BMW, by contrast, sold over a million cars in 2004, and that excludes nearly 200,000 Minis. God help Jaguar.

Painful predicament
Perhaps the most painful news is that one third fewer flagship XJ saloon / sedans found homes last year than in 2003. A further decline is expected in 2005. And this is a car launched as recently as the end of 2002 and boasting an advanced aluminium chassis. Jaguar execs must be passing round the tissues at board meetings.

Jaguar’s weak overall sales are particularly galling given the fact that both the XJ and the revised S-Type are excellent cars. OK, they’re far from perfect, suffering from mediocre cabin quality and (until recently) a dearth of diesel derivatives in the Euro market. But given the vulnerability of much of the opposition (laughable build quality from many Mercedes and Audi’s ordinary driving dynamics), Jag’s head honchos must be wondering what they have to do to win a few customers.

Or perhaps that’s selling the suits at Jaguar’s parent company, Ford, a little short. For surely they must know that Jaguar’s pathetic performance can only be a result of the chintzy, dated, derivative and unimaginative styling of its core range (although a lack of offerings in key niches such as SUVs can’t help). Fortunately, a styling revolution is currently underway. But will it see the light of day before the Ford mothership runs out of patience, or worse, money?

Best laid plans
Already, ambitious plans for a second generation, aluminium-engineered S-Type have been scaled back. And if the new XK8 is anything to go by, Jaguar’s design team have yet to hit on a definitive new styling language. Yes, the new coupe is neat, sleek and attractive. But it’s hardly distinctive, it’s definitely not forward looking and it doesn’t provide much of a basis for a future Jag design direction.

Regardless, details on Jaguar’s current financial state are slim to none because Ford bundles the Premier Automotive Group brands (PAG includes Jaguar, Aston Martin, Land Rover and Volvo) together for accounting purposes. Still, what we do know is that PAG as a whole lost $740 million in 2004. Whoopsie!

And finally…Last week Mark Fields, head of Ford Europe, refused to put a date on Jaguar’s return to profitablility. Clever chap.

UPDATE: Autoweek has an interview with Jaguar’s design chief Ian Callum. In truth, he says nothing remotely surprising, emphasising his love for the 1968 XJ6 and pointing out that the great Jaguars of the past were forward looking designs that moved the game on. Hardly controversial. But if you want to hear it from the horse’s mouth, check out the story.

Linkage:
Autocar magazine
BBC story
Autoweek Ian Callum interview