Jaguar’s bold leap with the XJ-S caused upset before the car was launched
The old adage is as true as it ever has been; there’s no such thing as bad publicity. If the amount of attention the Jaguar Type 00 concept is getting is any indication (and it is a concept, remember), then the launch of the actual cars Jaguar is secretly working on surely stands to be a great success – whether you believe in it or not.
Jaguar has previous here, but you’ve all forgotten. The Type 00 (again, folks – it’s not an actual car) has been an extraordinary coup in getting everyone to look Jaguar’s way, whilst the brand itself is on a hiatus. Contrary to popular belief, this is all very, very deliberate.
The Jaguar XJ-S replaced the revered but by the 1970s, dated, bloated and uncompetitive E-Type. Like architecture of the same era, the new car’s design polarised public opinion. It’s not hard to imagine the low, long, buttressed XJ-S causing anxiety amongst the dealer network and their faithful customers, because the design of that car is still striking and surprisingly contemporary fifty years later.
Then as now, Jaguar was a stagnant brand, in a difficult place. For too long, it had relied on a jaded blend of traditional motive power, conservative but elegant styling, and a group of ageing customers who feared change. If this sounds familiar, that’s because it really is the same today.
Jaguar’s bold leap with the XJ-S caused upset before the car was launched, as the E-Type was culled in 1974 to make way for the new car, which needed a new production line. Tumbleweeds gently scudded across motorshows and launch events in 1975 when the new model was unveiled, to a sniffy crowd mostly focused on the rear three-quarter styling.
Despite this muted reception, the XJ-S went on to have the longest production run of any Jaguar, with the final models, devoid of any very significant stylistic changes, rolling out of the factory in 1996, 21 years later. Another 30 years down the road, the XJ-S is considered a bona-fide classic, often mentioned by the Jaguar Type 00’s detractors as an example of a real Jag. The irony is apparently, lost on them.
Whilst parallels can be drawn from the XJ-S experience, it was not the only car bearing the leaper to have caused consternation at launch. Choosing an example from more recent history, it was the mass market X-Type which last raised eyebrows when it was unveiled. Unashamedly aimed at taking on the dominant BMW 3 Series (and winning), it took a large chunk of brand owner Ford DNA and wrapped it in a suitably well-proportioned saloon body.
From the start it was incorrectly labeled as little more than a Ford Mondeo in drag. Whilst that would not actually have been a bad thing if were true, in reality very few components were actually interchangeable, and those which were, consisted of the very best parts from the Mondeo range. Assembled at Ford’s Halewood plant, early cars were criticised for occasionally imprecise build, and some low-rent finishes.
The X-Type wasn’t hampered by any of those observations, but rather through having a cramped cabin, small boot and only one body style. Launched just as the user-chooser fleet market started to buy diesels in large numbers to avoid high CO₂ based benefits in kind tax, the small Jaguar only came with 2.5 or 3.0 litre V6 petrol engines, simply making it unaffordable.
Here was a car that looked like a Jaguar should, had characterful engines, and was an enjoyable steer, but which was off to an inauspicious start, largely because of some bad decisions made by product planners before the car was launched.
After a diesel engined X-Type, and a handsome, useful estate were launched, the smallest Jaguar finally matured into the product it ought to have been from the outset. In the seven year production run, more than 350,000 examples were sold, with the later, 2.2 litre diesel estates still highly regarded 18 years after the last car left Halewood.
Rarely has a new Jaguar been launched that was met with universal acclaim, and immediate success. After the introduction of the E-Type, and XJ range in the 1960s, the 70s, 80s and 90s brought a series of often beautiful, but flawed models which gradually improved, along with their sales prospects.
When the angular XJ40 series XJ saloons appeared to begin replacing the tired Series III model, purists were offended by the modern look. Everyone else was disappointed by the random electrical failures, lack of quality control and the car’s appetite for dissolving in the wet. After Ford took Jaguar on, the now typical pattern of product improvement bringing about a decent car a few years later, was well established.
As a manufacturer of striking, usually elegant but troublesome cars, it’s remarkable that the brand has survived. Sadly, that pattern continued all the way through to 2024 when Jaguar mothballed their last plant in the UK to have a bit of a think. The final XEs, XFs, F-Paces and F-Types were all pretty, enjoyable machines, but their initial success faded away as they became staid, against innovative, fashionable competitors.
We know that something radical is going on behind the scenes at JLR. The Jaguar Type 00 concept is a statement of intent indicating a plan to shake things up, and bring a new era of electric, luxury Jaguar cars that will almost certainly divide opinions. With a legacy of bringing cars into the world that didn’t meet with immediate approval, this approach is perhaps not so bold as it seems.
It won’t be long before we see the new range minus camouflage, and understand what is intended this time around. Jaguar has never been afraid of controversy, or making brave decisions. What they need to do to survive, is actually make money on the cars they sell. By taking the step of pitching their new cars at the very wealthy, it seems like the new era may finally see the marque back in the black. The production pause indicates that this is something that is at last, being taken very seriously.
Think another manufacturer caused a bigger stir at launch than Jaguar did with the Type 00? We’d love to hear about it in the comments section below.
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