So, I was wired on coffee last night and was poking around on the internet trying to find out some production numbers for Jaguar. Boy do they keep that stuff tight. What I did find was pretty cool. There is a Ford site that shows US sales figures all the way back to 1998. So here is some pretty interesting data... Just remember that this is calander year data and not model year.....

YEAR-----S-TYPE-----TOTAL JAGUAR
2007-----3,524-------15,683
2006-----5,875-------20,683
2005-----8,897-------30,424
2004-----10,975------45,875
2003-----14,876------54,655
2002-----15,965------61,204
2001-----19,548------44,532
2000-----24,507------43,728
1999-----15,541------35,039

Here is the link to take you to the site, and the list of reports available.

http://www.blueovalnews.com/index.php?categoryid=22

So now I feel guilty that I'm using a car for my daily driver that is almost as rare as the Dodge convertible was when it was new......5,621 ES conv in 1985...

Man I need to get some sleep.....

 

Any idea why sales peaked in 2002 and have tumbled ever since? Will the new XF and XJ reverse the trend?

 

The X type was introduced in the US late in 2001, selling approx. 9,000 units but in 2002 (it's first full year) a little over 33,000 units were sold. That gave Jag the 61k. If you go to the site and start reading the reports, one of the interesting things is the XJ and XK stay pretty flat but the X and the S peak right after introduction than taper off. It makes for some neat reading. I don't think the XF, XK, and XJ will ever be able to shoot Jaguar to over 60k. The other premium brands thrive on their entry level cars. Audi sells more A4's than anything else and the same goes for BMW's 3 series. Add to that, the other premiums play in the SUV / CUV market and you can see where their numbers come from. Don't get me wrong, I think it is great that Jaguar, Rolls, Bentley, Ferrari, and Aston Martin never got into the SUV thing and I hope it stays that way (shame on you Porsche). Heck, even Lamborghini did it back in the '80's (LM002 anyone?). So, if Jaguar comes out with a new entry level car, plus a back to basics sports car, they may see the volumes go up once more. Yes, I know the X lived on through 08 or even 09 (now I'm not sure) but that was not here in the US. By '07 the X was pretty much dead here. Heck, based on the numbers, the S died in 2004....
See that.... You people made me ramble again......

 

Hi Jeff,

It looks like we bought some collector cars. Too bad it will take another 20 or so years to sell them for what we paid for them.

I kind of wish I had kept my first two cars and just fixed them up. First car was a 67 Pontiac Firebird with the small block V8. Second car was a 71 Datsun 240Z. I'll most likely keep my S-Type as it will likely be my last Jaguar before retirement.

Mike

 

Great explanation JOsworth, thanks. If Jaguar do do another entry level car it needs to be way more inspiring than the X Type IMHO..............gets coat, runs away......

 

Hi Delta66,

How would this float your boat? This supposedly is the new two seater entry level sports car to be introduced in the 2012-2013 timeframe.

Mike

 

Sorry. Picture didn't copy right. Re-trying.

 

I heard from a dealer that there "might" be a two door XF. Anyone ???? My S Type is the first 4 door car I have ever owned. Nice, but.......

 

Delta,

Somehow I don't think you're the first person to use "do do" and "X Type" in the same sentence.

 

Second try on Jaguar XE.

 

That looks great carelm, as do the pictures of the XF coupe. I hope both appear. Jaguars retro period needed to end. It had gone on for too long.

The XJ has had more or less the same shape since the early 1970s, the S Type was based on a car of the 60s and the X Type was a miniturised version of the XJ. There was nothing that said future, modern, progressive. The new range does.

 

Delta: Sorry, but can't help it.....

JTO... Dude, you made my morning... ROFL

I know the X has fans, so sorry. I don't hate on those that don't like the S, and I know there a quite a few. But.......... After two X type loaners, I politely asked my service manager to please never give me one again.... He just laughed and said they were in the process of selling them off. They now have 6 S-types in the fleet.

Oh, BTW... did end up with a Land Rover LR2 the last time, and have to say...I was impressed..

 

My heart said get the S Type, my head said since it was the diesel I should maybe look for the X Type, but Jags should be bought with the heart and soul.

The X Type was/is a very pretty car. But for me Jags are not just about being pretty, they should have attitude. The X Type lacks attitude. Its face said 'excuse me' rather than 'you need to move out of the way, there is a Jaguar waiting to get by'.

The S Type is my 4th large car. But it is noticeable that I don't get tailgated as much as before and other cars are more inclined to move out of the way. I like that extra safety zone on the road that creates.

If the X Type was being replaced with a scaled down XF/XJ I think that would have worked much better. It would make for a pretty car with attitude.

 

Hi Delta66,

Funny that you should think the S-Type is a large car. I thought it was a more compact car. However, I was coming off two previous XJ6s. The S-Type seems to be a little smaller dimensionally, but a lot lighter and more agile than the XJ6s.

Speaking of retro, one of the proposals Jaguar is considering is a limited production of C and D Types with modern running gear. I'm guessing these will have the 600 hp versions of the supercharged engines.

Mike

 

The S Type is a large car, in Scotland. I remember the first time I saw a Jaguar in the US (Boston) and could not believe how small it looked next to the huge American cars. I am 6'2 in bare feet and I can sit behind myself in the S Type. That, for me makes it a big car. But I understand where you are coming from.

There is a British company called JD Classics; http://www.jdclassics.co.uk/ and they do a super line of modernised classic Jaguars. In our premier car show 'Top Gear' there was a review of an XJS that had been modernised. I cant remember the company name but they replaced eveything they could with better quality components, from cable ends to bushes. It was rated as if it was brand new. They also put a modernised E Type round their test track and it beat a number of new sports cars. At the same time they put an Aston Martin DB5 around the same track. It was restored but to original condition and it came last, the slowest car tested! Aston Martin with their works factory do major business restoring and modernising their cars. It would be brilliant for Jaguar to do the same.

 

The XE... cross between XK and TT?

 

Delta66,

Another firm that does updating of older model Jaguars is Vicarage. A bit pricey but they do excellent work. They put in modern electronics, brakes etc as well as conveniences such as A/C, power windows and doorlocks.

jagV8,

I think your description is basically correct based on what I've read. The XE, or whatever the actual designation will be, will be a front engined two seater. Target price will start at around $50,000 or so US.

Mike

 

Agree and disagree. Ford has been quite successful with its retro styled Mustangs since 1994. Like the S-type, the Mustang was an interpretation of the 1965-1968 Mustangs. Ford did well with those and then redesigned the Mustang into its current configuration in 2005. It is a reinterpretation and a better pen of the old models than the prior generation Mustang.

Jaguar could have tried to do the same thing. Instead, they hired Ian Callum, Jaguar's version of Chris Bangle, to completely ruin the line. The XF looks like a Lexus and the new XJ looks like a bad interpretation of a Chevy Malibu.

Jaguar's retro period was brief considering the years that we had to endure nothing but the XJ6 and the XJS. Jaguar's retro, or traditional period could have lasted a lot longer had they did what Ford had done with the Mustang, ensuring its success.

 

From what I've been able to glean, Jaguar is pursuing both a retro line and a modern line. The retro line supposedly will consist of a limited production of C and D Types with modern running gear and MKIIs updated with modern bits. The modern line will consist of the XFs in probably several guises (4 door sedan, 2 door coupe, station wagon, and possibly a convertible, the XE, XJ and XK. Not sure how much of this will pan out though. The Sep issue of CAR magazine has an article on Jaguar's 6 year plan.