Discussion
Saw in Autocar today they have a large feature on Jag, mainly around their best guess at what the new S-Type replacement will look like. (Once again Phil, is it close??) Seems to think Jag is safe with Ford for the time being and Aston seems to be for the chop. If that is the case that wil be great for future Jag developments not 'harming the AM' brand. So 500bhp please asap across the range and yes ditch the X!
New sketch of the new XJ looks flippin' cool too!
New sketch of the new XJ looks flippin' cool too!
The problem all over the world is over supply of cars. In Europe they reckon that there are 2 million surplus to requirements made so companies like Fiat are struggling to stay afloat and even VW are looking at ways to substantially economise. The great problem is now not the Japanes but the companies like Daihatsu, Kia, and so on making adequate (not good) cheap cars which people are buying.
In the luxury big car sector it is a question of how the cars are perceived and Jaguar struggles in this under the ford banner for some reason. Toyota brought out Lexus and it was a wise move to create a separate marque; VW bought Bentley and while the new Bentley saloon is only a VW Phaeton at about double the price it sells on name whereas hardly any Phaetons are sold. Great value used though.
The big car market as a whole is struggling due to high oil prices and except for very few marques the sector is shrinking which makes me wonder if, in the end, Jaguar has much of a future. It fits nicely in the Ford framework since the same platform is used for the american market under a different name so there are economies of scale to be had but the high dollar is hurting sales badly. I was in Capetown to test the new XK on launch in January and if there is any justice in the world this car alone will do great things for Jaguar sales. The exhaust note is reminiscent of a 70's muscle car and to die for, the satnav and touch screen a role model for Audi, Mercedes and in particular the infernal idrive sytem sported by BMW's. We got to try all the cars out there and not only was the Jaguar the best but also the cheapest. I was particularly impressed with the body in white and the strength and security built in to the chassis. Since the car is now 98% aluminium the XK is now only 0.1 of a second slower to 60mph (100kph) than the old supercharged XKR and the new XKR is something else again.
As regards the X type, how on earth can any up market manufacturer design a modern car which won't take an automatic box, especially a Jaguar? In Europe diesel sales are rising sharply and the Mondeo diesel has an auto box yet the X type hasn't room for one. Seems when the design was signed off they hadn't thought of a diesel X type. Jaguar sales are mostly autos and goodness knows how many sales they have lost on account of this. Again, the diesel isn't available in 4WD and so many are sold in the mountainous regions of Europe in this configuration so Audi are raking it in.
I could go on, but that's enough moaning for now!
In the luxury big car sector it is a question of how the cars are perceived and Jaguar struggles in this under the ford banner for some reason. Toyota brought out Lexus and it was a wise move to create a separate marque; VW bought Bentley and while the new Bentley saloon is only a VW Phaeton at about double the price it sells on name whereas hardly any Phaetons are sold. Great value used though.
The big car market as a whole is struggling due to high oil prices and except for very few marques the sector is shrinking which makes me wonder if, in the end, Jaguar has much of a future. It fits nicely in the Ford framework since the same platform is used for the american market under a different name so there are economies of scale to be had but the high dollar is hurting sales badly. I was in Capetown to test the new XK on launch in January and if there is any justice in the world this car alone will do great things for Jaguar sales. The exhaust note is reminiscent of a 70's muscle car and to die for, the satnav and touch screen a role model for Audi, Mercedes and in particular the infernal idrive sytem sported by BMW's. We got to try all the cars out there and not only was the Jaguar the best but also the cheapest. I was particularly impressed with the body in white and the strength and security built in to the chassis. Since the car is now 98% aluminium the XK is now only 0.1 of a second slower to 60mph (100kph) than the old supercharged XKR and the new XKR is something else again.
As regards the X type, how on earth can any up market manufacturer design a modern car which won't take an automatic box, especially a Jaguar? In Europe diesel sales are rising sharply and the Mondeo diesel has an auto box yet the X type hasn't room for one. Seems when the design was signed off they hadn't thought of a diesel X type. Jaguar sales are mostly autos and goodness knows how many sales they have lost on account of this. Again, the diesel isn't available in 4WD and so many are sold in the mountainous regions of Europe in this configuration so Audi are raking it in.
I could go on, but that's enough moaning for now!
Sorry guys, but why ditch the X-type???????
I believe it's a pretty important model for the range and for Jaguar.
Jaguar - of all brands - needs a "baby" if, for nothing more, than introducing a newer generation to the marque.
To my mind, there was a poor executive decision made at the beginning, when they announced they could sell 200,000 X-type models per year, overnight.
Organic growth was an unheard-of concept, seemingly.
A manufacturer just doesn't go from 0 to 200,000 units per year, on a whim. Which is just about what sums it all up.
OK then, so they didn't get off the blocks with the cleanest set of heels.
But when the range was introduced, they pinned great hopes on the American market, and did build an automatic model in 3.0-litre guise.
There's your auto model.
Who would dream that, three years down the line, George Dubbya would invade Iraq, and the price of crude would rise enough to squeeze even the balls of the American car market?
That's what's happened. The rest is history.
I believe it's a pretty important model for the range and for Jaguar.
Jaguar - of all brands - needs a "baby" if, for nothing more, than introducing a newer generation to the marque.
To my mind, there was a poor executive decision made at the beginning, when they announced they could sell 200,000 X-type models per year, overnight.
Organic growth was an unheard-of concept, seemingly.
A manufacturer just doesn't go from 0 to 200,000 units per year, on a whim. Which is just about what sums it all up.
OK then, so they didn't get off the blocks with the cleanest set of heels.
But when the range was introduced, they pinned great hopes on the American market, and did build an automatic model in 3.0-litre guise.
There's your auto model.
Who would dream that, three years down the line, George Dubbya would invade Iraq, and the price of crude would rise enough to squeeze even the balls of the American car market?
That's what's happened. The rest is history.
I run an XJR and love it but high fuel costs etc have made me consider an x-type estate as my daily drive and something sporty for the weekend sir, I can't give up the adrenaline rush of that supercharged V8, the problem is Jaguar didn't have the foresight to introduce a diesel automatic, I cannot understand why it wasn't available as an option on the new 2.2 diesel engine, there are an awful lot of 330d auto BMW's out there that could have been Jaguar customers. If your going to pitch a car at the small exec market then you need to cover all bases, 2.2d auto x-type estate would definitely add numbers to the sales figures. Reason I want an auto for daily drive, think M6-M5 intersection twice a day, way to much left leg work in that traffic.
Totally agree with some of the above. We seem to have this incredible chip on the shoulder shoot ourselves in the foot attitude to brit cars. X Type is a good and a good looking car. I have also got an XJR 
perhaps not an everyday driver but if you find a recent X Type 3.0 sport it is the business and very much the little brother of the foregoing.
perhaps not an everyday driver but if you find a recent X Type 3.0 sport it is the business and very much the little brother of the foregoing.cardigankid said:
Totally agree with some of the above. We seem to have this incredible chip on the shoulder shoot ourselves in the foot attitude to brit cars. X Type is a good and a good looking car. I have also got an XJR perhaps not an everyday driver but if you find a recent X Type 3.0 sport it is the business and very much the little brother of the foregoing.
perhaps not an everyday driver but if you find a recent X Type 3.0 sport it is the business and very much the little brother of the foregoing.Yup the latest XJR's are now appearing in the mid-£20's, when they get to <£20k I think my X-Type run about will be upgraded.
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