Jaguar is an automaker that manufactures popular British luxury cars which gained notoriety and prestige in America.
In 1922, Swallow Sidecar (SS) Company was founded by William Walmsley and William Lyons. Originally a designer of motorcycle sidecars, in 1935, the SS introduced the Jaguar SS 90 and SS 100, its first passenger vehicles. After World War II, the SS was dropped to avoid any incorrect connection with Nazi Germany and the company became known as Jaguar. Jaguar was purchased by Rubery Owen, yet maintained modest commercial success with a number of its models. The parent company was able to buy the company that had been providing Jaguar six-cylinder engines during this time as well. The name Jaguar remained, and it enjoyed success with sport models such as the XK 120, 140, and 150, and the E Type, called XKE in the U.S.
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Jaguar After World War II
Shortly after World War II, and increasingly through the 1950s and 1960s, Jaguar’s history was marked with considerable marketing success. Its slogan, "Grace, Space, Pace," was embodied in a series of luxury models that offered a lot of room, a comfortable ride and plenty of power. During this time, Jaguar won several international speed competitions, while its vehicles also did very well on the consumer market led by the MK VII, IX, MKs I and II, and eventually the still popular XJ6 and its subsequent models.
In 1966, Jaguar and British Motor Corporation (BMC) merged and created British Motor Holdings (BMH). Other merges resulted in Rover and Standard Triumph becoming part of the larger corporation, known as British Leyland Motor Company (BLMC), in 1968. Due to financial difficulties, it was nationalized in 1975 and became British Leyland, Ltd. Restructuring during the 1980s led to much of the company separating. In 1984, Jaguar again became a separate company on the stock market.
In 1989, Ford purchased Jaguar and it became part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group, which also included Aston Martin, Land Rover, and Volvo. While Jaguar was owned by Ford, it expanded the number of vehicles available to the consumer to include the S-Type and X-Type. Under the Ford umbrella and sharing a distribution and sales network, the two companies shared one production facility which produced components for the X-Type and the Freelander 2. Otherwise components, manufacturing, and engineering remained separate. In 2007, Ford announced a plan to put Jaguar and Land Rover back on the market.
In 2008, Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors of India for 1.7 billion pounds. The negotiations addressed a number of issues including labor agreements, technology, and engineering, along with the final sale price.
Jaguar in America
Jaguar vehicles were popular in the United States even prior to World War II, with 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 liter models designed by Standard Motor Company. Jaguar increased in popularity with the introduction of the Mark V. It's consistently considered a top of the line luxury vehicle, regardless of the many changes in ownership throughout the years. Production remained primarily separate for Jaguar even during the Ford years, in large part allowing Jaguar to remain unique in design, technology and engineering. The most recent buyer, Tata Motors, continues this Jaguar tradition.
Jaguar produced some of the most popular luxury and sport vehicles on the road from the very beginning. Mark IV was perhaps the first internationally successful vehicle Jaguar made. It followed that success with the even more popular Mark V. In 1948, the XK120 was considered one of the fastest sports cars available with a 3.5 liter hemi-head six-cylinder engine. Jaguar introduced the popular Mark VII in 1951 specifically for the U.S. market. Somewhat returning to its roots, Jaguar reintroduced the Mark I in 1955 and, in subsequent years, Jaguar continued to upgrade its Mark series with new technologies, more powerful engines and more luxury features. The E-Type, a small and fast sports car, was introduced in 1963. The XJ series later gained popularity and became the signature luxury car in the line. In 1992, Jaguar boasted the fastest production car in the world, the XJ220.
The XJ is a full-size luxury car and Jaguar's current flagship model. The first attempts received some criticism for looking "too old," despite a powerful engine and all of the luxuries of a vehicle in its class. Jaguar re-released the fourth generation XJ with a more youthful look, receiving far better press. The XF is its primary executive vehicle and offers top of the line luxury and safety features as well as a 5.0 liter V-8. The Jaguar XK is its sportier, smaller model first introduced in 2006.