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From YourSITE.com Columns Jaguar is perhaps the slowest of Ford’s Premier Automotive Group's luxo-brands to show some life. Land Rover and Aston Martin are turning the corner with a solid showing of new product and energy, and Volvo is a cash cow. Not so at Jaguar. Even with great new product like the very traditionally styled XJ sedan, Jaguar has yet to find its stride. Ian Callum’s handsome new XK coupe and convertible show plenty of promise, but you can’t bottle promise and the old cat’s going to need more new tricks than that in order to win customers over from Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and Infiniti – all at the top of their games with some of the strongest offerings we’ve seen from any of those companies in years.
1. Entry-level Roadster/Sportscar The original F-type concept was intended as a beautiful, compact Boxster-fighter that shared little with any other Ford platform. It didn’t seem to make much business sense, but those with a passion for Jaguar could easily see its attractiveness. Jag purists may grouse, as might Mazda enthusiasts, but the latest Mazda MX-5 makes it easy to imagine an entry-level, rear-drive F-type to compete with the likes of the Audi TT and BMW Z4. Make it available as both a roadster and svelte coupe, build it on the Mazda MX-5/RX-8 platform, power it with some sort of supercharged 6-cylinder. If Audi can do a refined Golf chassis and call it the TT, I don’t see why Jag couldn’t do something similar with some higher grade interior pieces, aluminum body panels, a healthy dose of sound deadening material and some burled wood. Personally, I envision something like an E-type, with side-hinged hatch on the coupe and strong flowing lines at the front and rear. A long powerful hood like BMW’s Z4 would make for an attractive quintessentially E-type dimension, and a front-hinged hood including fender covers would offer something completely different in the segment while losing unsightly shut lines. For those who can’t afford the full-sized XK, this would sell much-needed volume and bring younger clientele into Jaguar showrooms if you equip it with some performance hardware. Building the car in England or the EU would be nice, and the MX-5’s own success in Europe might move Ford Motor Company to consider a European factory for a rear-wheel drive platform that could supplement MX-5 and RX-8 production or be utilized for wider use of the platform under Ford, Mazda and Jaguar badges. 2. X-Type Replacement While we’re on the subject of the rear-wheel drive Mazda sourced platform, why not move a sedan, wagon and 5-door replacement of the X-type to the next generation rear-wheel driven Mazda chassis as well. Rear-wheel drive in this segment is perfectly acceptable, in fact preferred, and a rear-driver Mazda platform has to have better market perception than the front- drive Mondeo-based platform currently used. I am not an engineer, nor do I know the complexities of implementing such a plan on the current MX-5/RX-8 architecture, but if Nissan can do everything from the Infiniti FX-45 to the Nissan 350Z on the same platform, one wonders why FoMoCo couldn’t do the same – at least in the next generation of the platform. Further, bespoke Jaguar engines could be developed then for multiple cars while sourcing components such as Borg Warner’s DualTronic (a.k.a. the wildly popular DSG over at Audi) could also be made more affordable by developing it for cross-platform use by both Jaguar, Mazda and maybe even Ford.
Sedan and wagon versions of a rear-wheel drive X-type replacement could be sold in the USA, while a 5-door version could join them for European markets. Heck, even a 3-door or 5-door with the same wheelbase as the MX-5 car could be sold for the cat’s small European offering and go squarely against cars like the BMW 1-series or the Audi A3. 3. Sporty SUV to Compete with Infiniti FX45 and Porsche Cayenne Forget hardcore off-road as that belongs to Land Rover and forget family practicality as that belongs to Volvo. Jaguar is about performance and sexiness, and just as the FX45 is derived from the platform that spawned the Z-car, so too could a Jaguar SUV theoretically come from that of the aforementioned rear-wheel drive Mazda platform successor. Adding some potent engines fits the brand, and an R version would be a great image-builder. 4. Consistent Naming Policy Currently Jaguar makes use of two naming strategies that borrow from the company’s heritage. For the largest cars, the XK and XJ monikers are used, but at the base of the brand the suffix “-type” is mated to letter designations for S-type and X-type. It’s a bit confusing and in no particular order as are models like S40, S60 and S80 from Volvo. Further, add the sporting “R” designation to them, as in “S-type R”, and visions of Hondas start to dance in your head. Though either the two-letter or “-type” is a relatively slick direction with distinctly Jaguar connotations, Coventry really needs to choose one and stick to it. They could go either way, though perhaps an XJ naming policy for sedans and wagons, XK policy for coupes and convertibles, and XV for sport utilities. So maybe an XJ6 (X-type replacement), XJ8 (S-type Replacement) and XJ12 (XJ replacement) monikers for the three sedan ranges, while XK6 (small roadster), XK8 (medium sportscar) and XK12 (XK replacement) for the coupes, as well as an XV8 for the proposed SUV. 5. All-Wheel Drive with Rearward Bias In this class, all-wheel drive is becoming a must across the range. By moving smaller cars to the rear-drive platform used for the Mazda MX-5 and RX-8, this would mean that all base Jags would be rear-wheel drive. Developing a scalable system that could be applied to all models would be a significant feat. Further, the system could potentially be applied to Mazda for a high-performance RX-8 or even Aston Martin on the high-end. Either way, it’s technology Jaguar should really have to be considered a serious player in the market. Something using a computer controllable clutch like the Haldex system utilized by Mazda, Volvo and Ford would be even be more impressive as it would be adjustable and programmable to the driving dynamics of the different brands. That said, current versions of Haldex have only been developed thus far for transversely mounted front-wheel drive platforms, meaning it seems there’d be relatively high development costs if FoMoCo planned such a significantly different setup.
6. Le Mans Prototype Jaguar is known for its endurance racing and the marque is steeped in heritage. Going back to Le Mans and making use of the American Le Mans, European Le Mans and new Japanese series seems like a natural. The company could compete head to head with the likes of Audi and now Porsche at a fraction of the cost of its former Formula One efforts. Aston Martin already competes in the GT class, presumably allowing Ford to realize some economies of scale with multiple race teams at the same events. Reserving the Type nomenclature for generations of racecars might be cool too, perhaps relaunching the efforts by dusting off the old D-type name. From a team management, an individual like Bobby Rahal is not only interested in sportscar racing and familiar with Ford and the Premier Automotive Group (he owns a rather sizable flagship PAG dealership in Western Pennsylvania), he’s also mentor to female racecar driver Danica Patrick who last season wowed the racing world in a strong showing at Indy. Having a competitive female driver for a marque already quite attractive to women seems to make a lot of sense. Better yet, field an all-female driver team at Le Mans by landing additional female drivers such as Katerina Ickx and/or Milka Duno and you’d have a capable team that would also generate a ton of PR. 7. 12-cylinder Engines There’s no replacement for displacement. Jaguar utilizing a de-tuned Aston 12-cylinder for top-of-the-line models such as the XJ would keep up with Herr ünd Frau Jones from Germany. Audi’s use of Lamborghini's 10-cylinder shows that it’s possible to raid a brand's partsbin without eroding its image. This could help Aston realize greater economies of scale in their own engine development. De-tuning the Aston V12 for Jaguar use would help bring costs down on the engine due to higher rates of manufacture, while the Aston connection would help bring an extravagant air to Jaguar similar to the effect the Lamborghini engine has at Audi. 8. Diesel or Diesel Hybrid Technology Alternative fuels are another great way to put Jaguar back on the technological forefront. The torque-laden 6-cylinder diesel hybrid shown at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in the Mercury Meta One concept was cool enough, but launching as a Merc doesn’t do much to lend to the engine’s perceived status. Fitting it to a Jag first, then allowing it to move down market to cars like Volvo or Lincoln might make more sense and the engine certainly shows promise. 9. XKSS Bring back the era of badass Jags. The original attracted the likes of Steve McQueen just as the Porsche 550 attracted owners like James Dean. These exclusive and high-status vehicles tend to have an incredible halo effect. Porsche has the Carrera GT and Mercedes has the SLR. Jag could have a technological tour-de-force with a reborn XKSS – in roadster form only so as not to scare Aston Martin too much. How would Jaguar build it? Good question. Using an Aston Martin component set and even having Aston build it could be one direction. However, even shoehorning a supercharged Jag V8 into the rumored front-engine replacement to the Ford GT might be doable, think of it as the same approach as the Chrysler Firepower concept as it relates to the Dodge Viper. It’s a more refined use of a pretty hardcore setup. This could mean U.S. manufacture, which wouldn’t be optimum, but would be better than nothing. Or, bodies could be built in the USA, then shipped to Coventry for final assembly, much as the Lamborghini Gallardo makes its Neckarsulm, Germany to Sant Agata, Italy trip currently. 10. R Models Across the Range The R badge is alright, but a bit more timidly perceived than M, S or AMG models from Germany. Rather than being softer, Jag should help push the competition and offer the range, specifically on the sportscars and the models replacing the X-type and S-type. Manual transmissions should be mandatory, as should driver-oriented functionality such as staged ESP deactivation as seen in the Volvo S60R and maybe even lap timers such as those seen in the Porsche 911 and Audi RS 4.
11. Manual Transmissions Jaguar has a sporting heritage, yet today’s Jags are not the most competitive when it comes to being sporting. I mentioned BorgWarner’s twin-clutch Dualtronic transmission before, which should be done at the very least. However, nothing says sporting like a manual gearbox, and Jag needs them. If not across the board, a manual should be available at the very least in all sportscar offerings as well as any R versions of any model from the S-type entrant on down. 12. Product Placement Jaguar has little if any placement in movies. If it began to make some halo models in earnest, such as the ones mentioned above, then putting highly desirable image cars on the big and small screens should make a lot of sense. Further, take a page out of the James Bond experiment and try to piggy back Jaguar into shows or movies that also do product placement for other PAG brands. Teri Hatcher drives a Volvo XC70 on desperate housewives. A few Jags would fit nicely into that TV spot. Even better, try to help get new projects off the ground that fit Jaguar to a tee. PAG already has the line to the owners of the James Bond franchise. Lobby them to do a television show in the James Bond universe called MI-6. Showing lesser double-0 agents on the small screen driving Jags and chasing Volvos or European Fords could help raise the hip-factor of the brands, and help drive even more energy behind the Bond flicks when they come out, maximizing investment by PAG in the franchise. Summary Like I said before. I’m a layman. I don’t work for Ford, and couldn’t begin to know all of the financial and engineering constraints upon Jaguar at this time. That said, these 12 ideas are out of the box thinking that just might help Jaguar. In as much, they’re there for Coventry’s use if they find any of this in the least bit valuable. Cheerio.
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