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Andrew Marsh's avatar

Jaguar like Alfa Romeo has been on the cusp of re-makes all too often.

JLR have placed Jaguar in a dangerous position.

Once new vehicles are not built, the company dies.

Sure, there are huge investments coming to fruition in 2025, with the first application tellingly for Range Rover rather than Jaguar.

The 'jaGuar' branding preview has been a disaster, making the next product preview in December 2024 even more difficult. The branding preview was an opportunity to prepare the ground, which it did not.

Worse, the Jaguar no-neck exec on expenses who took to his high horse to hector critics came across as massively disconnected and rather petty. Again, hardly the stuff of brand foundation.

What matters with a product is what does it look like, and does it work.

The longer JLR fail to discuss this, the more likely the product will fall over.

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Frederick Edward's avatar

You mean that the fundamental aspect of whether a car is good, decent, drivable etc etc matters more than genuflection to politically correct shibboleths? Surely not?

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Andrew Marsh's avatar

Correct. Good product always does better than poor product with plenty of PR.

I wonder if HM Gov's new private member's bill could be used to remove the employment from J to the Oh Hell R's Jaguar division board members, marketing team and product development team? Thanks to the poor definition, the 'assisted departure' bill has many, many potential purposes.

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Susie AH's avatar

Funnily enough I’ve never been impressed by car advertisements. I have always done my research on suitability, specifications and will continue to do so although I do have at least one favourite marque. If I wanted a Jaguar this ad wouldn’t put me off but then I drive a car for myself not to make a statement (although I now realise that is also making a statement! 🤣)

I was very fortunate as an 18 year old to be allowed to drive around in my dad’s Daimler Sovereign and I must have stood out like a sore thumb because at 18 I looked about 14. The police delighted in stopping me for no reason and their envy was apparent. My dad felt the Jaguar quality slipped so he moved to Mercedes but they didn’t have the head turning power of the old Jags.

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Andrew Marsh's avatar

There was XJ X351 - a vehicle which was rather different when it first appeared in 2010 compared to the 'retro' X350, but the exterior matured very well over the next decade. The body structure, steering, suspension, brakes and driveline were sound, the electric system needed a complete overhaul and some aspects of the interior had dated.

So.... JLR axed it in 2020 just as the BEV was set for production, which opened up a hole which the company in effect did nothing to address.

Roll on 2026 - or is it 2027?

You know first hand the line that Sir William Lyons established, with many fine designers. It was far, far more than just 'wood and leather'. Super low waist lines, elegant sweep nose to tail, an inviting interior and the promise of performance. Elegance and beauty.

That 'style' - or rather, design - has to be re-born. Silly ads won't cut it. Great vehicles will.

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Vivian Evans's avatar

Remember the TV series 'Morse'? He drove an old Jag - that's the car I loved. I didn't ever like the following 'modern' models ...

(No need to apologise, Frederick: creativity is like a cat - the more you want your cat to come for a cuddle the more she haughtily disregards you. She'll always come back - in her own good time. meanwhile writing for the wastepaper basket is also writing ...)

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Frederick Edward's avatar

I don't particularly like old British cars; they don't do a lot for me. Nevertheless, as you allude to, it's hard to reconcile Morse with the recent trannyfest in their adverts. It really underlines that the people involved in the running of these brands have zero conception of the historical inheritance that they are managing. Ignorant does not begin to describe their approach.

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Andrew Marsh's avatar

The Jaguar MkII had deeply flawed build quality and rear suspension layout, yet somehow captured hearts. Many Jaguar models have managed to do the same thing, with their primary attribute of 'grace, pace and space'. Offering visual high fashion for a fraction of the usual suspects (albeit still rather expensive in absolute terms) served the company well until recently, when the commercially more successful Land Rover division ruled the roost.

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Stuffysays's avatar

Europe won't even being a living museum, not if 63% of welfare payments in Germany goes to foreigners. People from Elsewhere don't care about Europe, about its past or its culture. They care about getting money and maybe being safer than they were in Elsewhere. Most Europeans don't seem to care or know much about their own history anyway and it has been so distorted that they don't even know the facts. The good old shareholders who made a quick buck by approving the manufacturing moves to cheaper locations never did care about anything except the dividends. The politicians have been useless for generations. You can bet Jaguar won't be showing that advert in non-Western countries! Sadly, we reap what we sow (even though the vast majority of us didn't actually reap any of this nonsense and destruction)

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Frederick Edward's avatar

As long as a significant-enough proportion of people are able to lead comfy lives at the state's largesse little will change. Once the state's outgoings become utterly unsustainable and the system creaks to an eventual halt, only then will people begin to understand.

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Patrick  Clarke's avatar

I felt a bit guilty trading in my last Jaguar XF for a BMW a few months ago. Now I congratulate myself for jumping ship

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Frederick Edward's avatar

The last time I drove in a BMW (as a passenger) it broke down in the middle lane of the M25. Hopefully you have a better experience all round!

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Patrick  Clarke's avatar

So far, so good!

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pete clark's avatar

Your flat white would have... stuff... in it.

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Frederick Edward's avatar

You mean all the 'love', 'care' and 'passion' that goes in to each coffee shop's cup?

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Roslyn Ross's avatar

We live in an age of Mediocrity. And the world ended not with a bang but a whimper of boredom.

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Frederick Edward's avatar

The most unimaginable aspect of it all is that the mediocre float straight to the top.

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Roslyn Ross's avatar

Most people are too busy to focus and simply trying to survive the techo age and the flood of information. And there is no doubt that over-vaccination and over-medication in the past 50 years have wrought serious dumbing down. Add that to an agenda-driven education system and you get mediocre and often mindless.

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