It is time for the British to stop looking backwards and to begin looking to the future. The British car industry is defunct and the companies left have been sold to foreign investors. References to previous wars and technology are unconvincing as consumer perception is what determines the fortunes of the automobile manufacturers. Gone are BMC, British Leyland and Rootes Group due to inept management and poor quality by the trades unions.

The British themselves admire the quality and resale value of German vehicles. One cannot say that for most British vehicles such as Ford, Vauxhall and the lesser know marques. Unfortunate as it may be, consumer perception is reality and most consumers in Britain favour the image of German cars. Exceptions are Bentley and Rolls Royce, which are owned by Volkswagen and BMW respectively yet are not mainstream brands in Britain.

The automobile business is now global and as such, there is an opportunity for growth by British companies building high-quality vehicles with cutting edge technology. I sincerely hope some of the Formula 1 innovations find their way into more pedestrian British vehicles in the future.

 

Did you end up buying the Rapide? That car is just too awesome. The sound of it starting up; nothing can beat.

 

Ouch. You have the wrong end stick mate. This will make you feel better. No country on the planet spends more on the future of Automotive, no country on the planet has better automotive minds- no other country supports its auto industry LESS.

We are talking about a tiny island where motor companies are born from passion and vision, not the Third Reich holding a gun to peoples heads. Yet I can count on 1 hand the number of memorable car companies from Duetchland. Merc, BMW, Audi (cant count VW -Porsche) they stole everything from Czechoslovakia, and were successful convicted of it. Ferdinand himself did time in Prison. Ready for the British companies (all self started and all totally unique in the world and game changing) McLaren; Catheram, Range Rover, Lotus, Rolls Royce, Mini, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Morgan, Ariel, AC Cobra. Even more if I am allowed to count the ones who were allowed to die due to shortsightedness of the govt. Like Healey, Rover, Triumph, Enfield, MG.

In truth we should consider ourselves fortuitous that Britain does not artificially prop up her car industry like the rest of the world, its why she has had such refreshingly spirited designs that no other country regardless of size or wealth can match. Think about it, why could the Germans, Japanese, Americans not come up with the concept of having a luxury SUV like the Range Rover, now every country and car company wants to make one. Its like asking for a unique gourmet dish from a large restaurant chain- it will never happen. Britain will continue to lead now that we have robots who match their human counterparts in Japan and Germany- just you wait.

BTW, I am British and I dont admire the fruits of the Hitler youth. Even if we had not fought against that arrogance, its really the lack of character and persona that no Brit could settle for. If we could get manufacturing to what it is in the rest of the world, Germans would only be selling to the young rebellious Kocks in Audi's camp. I remember when Audis were a joke, till the fatherland got behind them and went on yet another world domination plan. While the silly muppets in England were putting the kettle on.

 

Porsche did time because the French wanted to coerce him into designing the 2CV.

 

Great Britain is the mecca for automotive talent in every facet of the industry; without question. Totally agree.

 

We must bear in mind, for the sake of creativity, All unique British 'formulas' have stood the test of time.
The formula for lightweight zippy car- Mini
The formula for power to weight ratio and handling- Lotus
The formula of persona- Jaguar
Grace, authority and luxury- Rolls Royce
Versatility with Luxury- Range Rover
Rugged Simplicity- Land Rover
Street going race car- McLaren.

The Japanese formulas have also survived the test of time. The Germans have Not. Mercedes no longer makes the cars that made it famous. BMW is closer to British values of luxury, complexity and unreliability than its roots of being a simple and long lasting. Audi is now making luxury cars that happen to be 4 wheel drive, rather than the inverse. Porsche's best selling car is a front engine luxury SUV. Ford in USA is using overhead cams and aluminum monocouqe- on its trucks no less.

Yes the motor industry is more global now, but they are all moving to British or Japanese formulas. Germany rules with what they always did best, transmissions.

 

Too Funny!!

Little did they know he was of no help.

BTW, the Porsche family has been indited again, this time for a ponzi scheme bigger than Maddof.

 

Any links? Haven't seen that one yet.

 

Yes too many to keep up. This is better than fiction. including suicide by one of the wealthiest man in Europe. The only thing missing is sex.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/15/bu...agen.html?_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/08/bu...pgtype=article

Squeezy money | The Economist

 

i prefer 100 times jags than bmw too....

 

To me a German car is what German food would be to a Spaniard. Only calories.

 

In all honesty, it does not matter in the least what I think. What does matter is what the car buying public think and unfortunately, they still do not have a good opinion of British-built vehicles.

Even after Jaguar rank at the top of the JD Power & Associates survey for vehicle dependability, many people still talk about Lucas, making jokes about the electrical gremlins that beset British cars. When I enquire as to which model(s) they have owned, they usually say they have never owned a British car, but a friend of a friend's third cousin did in the 1970s.

I have personally owned many British cars and have yet to experience any of the issues people talk about. It may interest you to know I have owned nearly twenty Jaguars from a Mk2 3.8, a Series 1 E-Type to Series 3 XJ6s of various vintages to the current S-Type 4.0 and XK. Along the way, I have also had a Lotus Elan, Cortina Lotus Mk2, MGB-GT and a Morris Mini.

Many years ago, when I worked for a racing team, they shared your opinion of German cars, especially Porsche.

 

How right you are that nothing will convince the generation that witnessed the low point of the British Car manufacturing. Which finally explains why Jaguar is aiming at a generation that does not know its past.

Germans did do the British a favor by lower the age of a luxury car buyer. Remember the old days, you could only get a luxury sports car at the age you were no longer able to chat up the birds.

 

Thus the bland, Honda-eque styling of the XE and XF so it looks familiar to these new buyers and not something their father or grandfather would drive.

Interestingly, the birds do pay attention when I am driving the XK, some young enough to be my grandchildren.

 

I think there is something very special about British designed and built cars that can not be found any where else in the world. My first Jaguar was a 1974 XJ12L which did have a lot of seemingly insoluble bugs. So bad, that I sold it and made a mistake trying to replace it with a BMW 3.0. I found it so unsatisfactory that I owned for one week and replaced with a 76 XJ12L which was the second of 13 Jaguars, including a 67-68 Series 1.5 OTS that had to go away during a nasty divorce.

During all this time I have found that Jaguar through three iterations of ownership has remained basically true to its original DNA. To me, there is no automobile manufacturer anywhere in the world that has, on a continuous basis, made the same type of wonderful vehicle. And that gentle people is more than good enough for me.

By the way, have also owned and restored a 52 MG TD in addition to the all of the Jaguars and it too was unique and a wonderful vehicle.

 

Priceless that British Ingenuity, in understanding the most important spec. Women dont care about low center of gravity- it only attracts other men.

 

Remarkable point! So few appreciate something that has remained true to its mission through thick and thin. And indeed few things ever have.

Most brands are just based on the image they have created in your head, for me Jaguar has some incredible memories. I dont of a car that was as celebrated as the EType in my lifetime.

 

I'd say this is true of all British marques. None have really swayed from their core design ethos.

 

And what fantastic values. Which come from not being as impractically passionate as the Italians and not as clinically impassionate as the Germans. Too bad the masses have no appreciation for moderation. Then again look at the elections.

 

How come no one is talking about Morgans? That is a car that has no equal in the world!!!