I am a new Jaguar owner (actually I had a 1966 Series 1 E-Type but that was mostly in a warehouse when I owned it, I only drove it a couple of times) and as I have detailed in another thread, I bought an XFR-S last month sight unseen and never having driven one, or any XF for that matter.

Why I bought the XFR-S points shines a light on what Jag should be defining as strategic pillars going forward, IMO.

1) It ain't German: No one can compete with the Germans when it comes to the combination of performance, drive-ability, price points, and fit-and-finish all in one package. Other manufacturers can beat them on individual points, but not on the total package... but that misses the point, I don't want incrementalism in my choice of vehicle, I want something that will stand out from the pack without compromising things I care about, such as performance, design, and quality... and Jaguar is uniquely positioned to do this because of the heritage of the brand and emphasis on performance.

Market the brand on heritage, commitment to performance, and the distinctive European brand.

2) Interior quality: I love the center console in the XF (and XJ) because it embodies a design language that is prevalent in modern consumer devices today, thanks to Apple. There is well defined whitespace due to the fact that there are not a 100 buttons, dials, switches, and things I don't even know what happens when I press it. The vehicle is managed entirely through the display and what controls are presented in the console are shortcuts. The gear selector switch is a stroke of brilliance and the effect on the visual presentation of the console is remarkable. Quality of stitching, materials, and proportions on the interior are well thought out, and the curvature of the XJ interior is striking.

Over-invest in interior materials, customization, and contemporary cockpit layouts.

3) Technology package: The 2014 tech package is acceptable but not delightful, the best I can say is that it is competent. The Meridian audio system, by comparison, is quite extraordinary. Cars today are as much as tech product as they are mechanical, and where auto brands will need to shift their thinking is to tech first... I want to have a connected car so give it a network connection and open up the APIs for 3rd party app development. I want to be able to start my car in the morning from my phone, have the display double up as a wireless display for my tablet, give me stats on performance and management messages... and have a natural language interface rather than the voice-walk-through-the-menus approach. And I want software updates for performance improvements, features additions, and fixes OTA!

Build the car to fit the technology rather than the other way around.

4) Exclusivity: I bought the Range Rover Sport Autobiography limited edition because there were only 250 made... and the XFR-S because of the same reason. Modern manufacturing supply chains allow for the development and production of low volumes, along with a high cadence rate for model year changes, even mid-year. Break from the tradition of annual model year changes...

Treat cars like an extension of fashion and have seasonal releases with unique attributes that create excitement.

5) Customer experience: The dealer experience is last in my list because it is one of the defining attributes of a brand that often gets overlooked. My Mercedes dealer runs a 24 hour service operation and have the drop-off, checkin, loaner, and communication experience down pat. They have all my info up front, I literally drop off the car and they email me with details, and everything from loaner car to how the car is returned to me is buttoned up tight. My experience with Land Rover and Jaguar dealers is mixed, which is one reason why I bought a Range Rover and Jaguar in Florida rather than here in the Bay Area (Redwood City Land Rover is simply the worst car dealer experience I ever had, I would not have my oil changed there much less buy another vehicle from them).

Wrap the dealer experience in luxury so that going to drop off your car for service is like stepping into the Virgin First Class Lounge.

BONUS: Buying a car like this, even more so when you spend over $100k on it, is a lifestyle choice as much as a vehicle purchase. Jaguar would do well to wrap the brand in complimentary product offerings, I want it to be like the Amex Black card where I get a whole slew of extras... and Jaguar actually has shown an appetite for this, for example the XJL Ultimate Experience they offered through Gilt that included the factory tour and vehicle pickup... do more of that and extend it to experiences that are available after you buy the car.

Do any of the above and in a year or two when I get the urge to buy another car I will go to Jaguar first. Don't let me down on customer experience, reliability, and performance and I will be a strong advocate for you in the marketplace.

 

Lots of good observations and points made there.

You are absolutely right about the service at the dealerships being overlooked. My local Jaguar dealers have been getting better and better, so i see the light at the end of the tunnel. They are on the right track. Good things take time.

Mercedes does have an amazing service department. Have one of their products in the driveway as well. They actually offer to drop off a loaner, pick up your car from work if needed, which is as close to white glove service as it can be.

One thing, I hope Jaguar doesn't sink their teeth into is offering dirty Enterprise econoboxes as loaners.

 

I agree with a lot of what you have to say with the exception of the role of electronics in a car that should have 'classic' appeal. The two are at complete odds with each other and the electronic interfaces will inevitably be obsolete with 25% of the possible life of the car if not earlier.

What's the solution, I don't know...but I do know that I don't buy cars for electronics.

Thanks for the viewpoint!