The history of the automobile brand Jaguar

Content

History of Jaguar
Owners and management
activity
The lineup

The British car brand Jaguar is currently owned by the Indian manufacturer Tata, and functions as its division for the production of luxury cars. The headquarters remain in the UK (Coventry, West Midlans). The main direction of the brand is exclusive and prestigious vehicles. The company's products have always fascinated with beautiful silhouettes that blend with the royal era.

History of Jaguar

The history of the brand begins with the founding of a motorcycle sidecar company. The company was called Swallow Sidecars (after the Second World War, the SS abbreviation caused unpleasant associations, which is why the company name was changed to Jaguar).

She appeared in 1922. However, it existed until 1926 and changed its profile to the production of bodies for cars. The first products of the brand were bodies for Austin cars (the Seven sports car).

1927 - The company receives a large order, which gives it the opportunity to expand production. Thus, the plant is engaged in the manufacture of components for Fiat (model 509A), Hornet Wolseley, as well as for Morris Cowley.
1931 - The emerging SS brand presents the first developments of its transport. The London Auto Show presented two models at once - SS2 and SS1. The chassis of these cars served as the basis for the production of other premium segment models.
1940-1945 the company changes its profile, like most other automakers, because during the Second World War, civilian transport was practically not needed by anyone. The British brand develops and manufactures aircraft engines.
1948 - The first models of the already renamed brand, Jaguar, enter the market. The car was named Jaguar Mk V. After this sedan, the XK 120 model rolled off the assembly line. This car turned out to be the fastest serial passenger transport at that time. The car accelerated to 193 kilometers per hour.
1954 - the next generation of the XK model appears, which received the index 140. The engine, which was installed under the hood, developed power up to 192 hp. The maximum speed developed by the novelty was already 225 kilometers / hour.
1957 - the next generation of the XK line is released. The Model 150 already had a 3,5-liter engine producing 253 horsepower.
1960 - The automaker buys Daimler MC (not Daimler-Benz). However, this merger brought financial problems, which forced the company to merge with the national brand British Motors in 1966. From this moment on, the brand is rapidly gaining popularity. Every new car is perceived by the world of motorists with extraordinary enthusiasm, thanks to which the models are sold all over the world, despite the high cost. Not a single auto show took place without the participation of Jaguar cars.
1972 - The British automaker's elegant and slow-moving cars gradually take on a sporty character. The XJ12 comes out this year. It has a 12-cylinder engine that develops 311hp. It was the best car in its category until 1981.
1981 - The updated XJ-S he high-speed sedan appears on the market. It used an automatic transmission, which allowed the production car to accelerate to a record 250 km / h in those years.
1988 - The rapid movement towards motorsport prompted the management of the company to create an additional division, which was called jaguar-sport. The purpose of the department is to bring the sporting characteristics of comfortable models to perfection. An example of one of the first such cars is the XJ220. For some time, the car occupied the highest position in the ranking of the fastest production cars. The only competitor that could take his place is the McLaren F1 model.
1989 - the brand passes under the control of the world-famous Ford concern. The division of the American brand continues to delight its fans with new elegant car models, made in luxurious English style.
1996 - the production of the XK8 sports car starts. It receives a number of innovative upgrades. Among the innovations is the electronically controlled suspension.
1998-2000. flagship models appear, which were not only the hallmark of this brand, but were also considered a symbol of the whole UK. The list includes such cars from the Type series with indexes S, F and X.
2003 - The first Estate is launched. An all-wheel drive transmission was installed in it, which was paired with a diesel engine.
2007 - The British sedan lineup is updated with the XF business class model.
2008 - the brand is bought by the Indian automaker Tata.
2009 - The company begins production of the XJ sedan, which was made entirely of aluminum.
2013 - the next sports car in the back of a roadster appears. The F-Type has been named the sportiest of the last half century. The car was equipped with a V-shaped 8-cylinder power unit. He had a power of 495 hp, and was able to accelerate the car to "hundreds" in just 4,3 seconds.
2013 - the production of two more powerful models of the brand starts - XJ, which received serious technical updates (the 550hp engine accelerated the car to 100 km / h in 4,6 seconds), as well as the XKR-S GT (the track version that reached 100 km / h in just 3,9 seconds).
2014 - the brand's engineers developed the most compact sedan model (class D) - XE.
2015 - The XF business sedan received updates, thanks to which it became lighter by almost 200 kilograms.
2019 - the elegant I-Pace electric car arrives, which won the European Car of the Year award (2018). In the same year, the flagship J-Pace crossover model was presented, which received an aluminum platform. The future car will have a hybrid drive. The front axle will be powered by a classic internal combustion engine, while the rear axle will be powered by an electric motor. So far, the model is in the concept category, but from the 21st year it is planned to release it into series.

Owners and management

Initially, the company was a separate automaker, which was founded by two partners - W. Lyson and W. Walmsley in the 22nd year of the last century.

In 1960, the carmaker acquires Daimler MC, but this put the company in financial trouble.

In 1966, the company was bought by the national brand British Motors.

1989 was marked by the change of the parent company. This time it was the famous Ford brand.

In 2008, the company was sold to the Indian firm Tata, which still operates today.

activity

This brand has a narrow specialization. The main profile of the company is the production of passenger cars, as well as small SUVs and crossovers.

Today the Jaguar Land Rover group has one plant in India and three in England. The company's management plans to expand its production of cars by building two more factories: one will be located in Saudi Arabia and China.

The lineup

In the entire history of production, models have come off the assembly line of the brand, which can be divided into several categories:

1. Sedans of an executive class

2.5 saloon - 1935-48;
3.5 saloon - 1937-48;
Mk V - 1948-51;
Mk VII - 1951-57;
Mk VIII - 1957-58;
Mk IX - 1959-61;
Mk X - 1961-66;
420 G - 1966-70;
XJ 6 (1-3 generations) - 1968-87;
XJ 12-1972-92;
XJ 40 (updated XJ6) - 1986-94;
XJ 81 (updated XJ12) - 1993-94;
X300, X301 (next update to XJ6 and XJ12) - 1995-97;
XJ 8-1998-03;
XJ (modification X350) - 2004-09;
XJ (modification X351) - 2009-present

2. Compact sedans

1.5 saloon - 1935-49;
Mk I - 1955-59;
Mk II - 1959-67;
S-Type – 1963-68;
420 - 1966-68;
240, 340-1966-68;
S-Type (updated) - 1999-08;
X-Type – 2001-09;
XF - 2008-present;
XE - 2015-н.в.

3. Sports cars

HK120 - 1948-54;
HK140 - 1954-57;
HK150 - 1957-61;
E-Type - 1961-74;
XJ-S – 1975-96;
XJ 220-1992-94;
XK 8, XKR - 1996-06;
XK, X150 - 2006-14;
F-Type - 2013-present

4. Racing class

ХК120С - 1951-52 (model is the winner of 24 Le Mans);
C-Type - 1951-53 (the car won 24 Le Mans);
D-Type - 1954-57 (won three times in 24 Le Mans);
E-Type (lightweight) – 1963-64;
XJR (Versions 5-17) 1985-92 (2 wins 24 Le Mans, 3 wins World Sportscar Championship)
XFR – 2009;
XKR GT2 RSR - 2010;
The Model R (indexes from 1 to 5) was produced for the races in the F-1 competition (for details about these races, see here).

5. Crossover class

F-Pace - 2016-;
E-Pace - 2018-;
i-Pace - 2018-.

6. Conceptual models

E1A and E2A - appeared during the development of the E-Type model;
XJ 13 - 1966;
Piran - 1967;
XK 180 - 1998;
F-Type (Roadster) - 2000;
R-Coupe - a luxury coupe for 4 seats with a driver (a concept was developed to compete with the Bentley Continental GT) - 2002;
Fuore XF10 – 2003;
R-D6 – 2003;
XK-RR (coupe HK) and XK-RS (XK Convertible);
Concept 8 - 2004;
CX 17 – 2013;
C-XF – 2007;
C-X75 (supercar) - 2010;
XKR 75 - 2010;
Bertone 99 - 2011.